Touch of the Past
by QueenStarrOfTheUniverse
Summary: Jazz and Tucker finally admit that they can't find their missing leader and teammate. And yes, they know if Danny was the one searching for them he would've found them instantly, but unfortunately we all can't be half-ghost superheros with ghostly connections... Time to go to the "professional" superheros; who end up directing Jazz and Tucker to their team of sidekicks instead.
1. Chapter 1

Four walls, one door.

Specially designed for me.

Eight guards, two at a time.

Specially trained for me.

One inhibitor collar around my neck.

I don't know what it does.

Security measures, precautions, probably cost a lot of time and effort.

They needn't have bothered.

I hurt too much to move, let alone escape. I don't remember anything, so where would I go? They remind me whenever they can fit it in that anything I try will end in electrocution. If I get past that, I'll be taken down by the guards. If I get past that, the walls and doors and barred windows and ray guns will stop me. If I get past that? They'll sic dogs on me, enhanced and thirsting for ectoplasm, which apparently makes up my entire anatomy.

...

So?

Something new is broken every day! I can't move! All I want to do is get a little sleep. If I sleep, my wounds will at least close, if not heal all the way, overnight. And even though the nightmares plague me like the white coats plague me in the day, there are flashes of impressions, of memories, that are worth the added terror.

I... I don't remember much. I can't really remember anyone's face, their names, or what they meant to me. Times and places are all scrambled, and I can't quite picture... well... anything.

At night, when I have the slightest willpower to spare, I try to piece what I know.

Nothing but impressions. A layer of black, with sparkling white dots spotting it. Swirling green, purple. Stretching my arms up high and twisting my torso, stretching out my injury-free muscles.

The only thing I _remember_ remember is the decision to give everything to stay me; whoever that is. And even _with_ the surety I remember it with, it's still an impression. I _did_ make that decision. I gave everything for it. My mind was breaking, and I took everything and gave it up, so nothing could break. _Nothing_.

The importance of keeping my head my own, of defying whatever it is that they want me to become, is so prominent it is always somewhere on my mind. I don't know why it's so important. But I don't really know anything anymore.

Beyond the pain, how can I possibly think about escape, when it's only important to me that I stay... me?

Me. The only things I can pinpoint about "me" is the defiance thing, obviously. And I was once funny. Maybe I still am? I don't know, but the humor's there somewhere. I know I'm young. Or at least younger than those around me.

And I know I have a secret.

I know what it is, too.

I have another side.

I don't think about it often, because it's a part of me that is incredibly important and I know not even the impression of the other side is supposed to exist. Maybe it doesn't exist as an impression. But I feel him. And I can't help but wonder what he's-I'm?- like.

I can't remember my other face. I have seen my reflection- there are some reflective surfaces- and I try to picture who I am when I am the other. Is my white hair blonde, brown, black, red, gray? Have I dyed it another color? Are my green eyes brown, green, hazel, blue, black? Maybe I wear glasses. Could the eyes be purple?

Purple eyes. That would make me unbelievably happy, if I were to see purple eyes again. But I don't know why that would be.

Sometimes I wonder if I have a heartbeat. Most people around this place have heartbeats, but I don't. But it feels almost if... If my heart could beat, it would.

But that doesn't make any sense.

Of course I don't even try switching to him. I can't even think about him without feeling like it's unsafe for him. I know he is weaker, he doesn't heal as fast. He feels pain more than I do. He is the reason I can feel pain so potently, but also the only reason I know the pain means I can still defy.

He, while weakening me, is the anchor I have to reality. Painful with, unbearable without. Huh.

Where have my thoughts gone? Mentally, I try to retrace my steps, back to what started this string of thoughts, but am unable. My thoughts wander when I'm in pain, and there is no going back. I know I definitely shouldn't be thinking of him anymore. I shove him back in a deep corner that doesn't exist, and allow the pain to cover up the feeling of him in my chest.

I can't think of nothing, and I can't fall back asleep yet, so I'll play my game. It's not fun, but it at least gives me something to do other than be in pain.

What hurts? the game: the back of my head (I hit it there when I was thrown back, probable concussion), my right hand (it glowed today- green- and my escort freaked and beat it with the nightstick he carries. It's definitely shattered), the inside of my elbow (some injection), my veins (probably still the injection), my wrists and ankles (because of the ectoranium. But they always hurt. Same with my voice), and my stomach (I'll spare myself the memory).

See? Not a fun game. But, I mean. Not a fun place, either.

I close my eyes, and I can picture the room falling into darkness, no ethereal light from my eyes left to illuminate it. I wish my eyes would stop glowing and would focus more on fixing my hand, stomach, head, veins, brain...

At least I'm not always in the dark.

Hours pass, and I slip in and out of sleep, sometimes so nightmare filled I believe myself awake. Every time a nightmare shakes me, I spend the next while trying to calm my mind down again so I can return to sleep.

Sometimes the dreams are pleasant. They tell stories of a time opposite this one: there's light, and green from plants instead of blood, a sun, stars-beautiful, infinite space- and people who bring something quite different from pain.

But those are so rare, as rare as a day of no pain, no blood. And I never remember them when I wake up. They give me no hope. They are useless.

The rest are nightmares, nightmares that rip me apart inside almost like the men do in the day. All night, I'll relive the day.

Then the door to my room opens in the morning- or what I guess is morning.

And the real nightmare begins.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm flying. Briefly, I begin to fall, but then I shoot out my grappling line, and with a small strain on my arm, I'm flying back up. I switch lines to continue my movement, weaving between buildings and whipping around at dazzling heights.

I'm alone tonight. Technically, it's patrol. But until I see something worth investigating, there's no point in being serious.

Batman is at a benefit, and I'm only to call if I run into something I can't handle. Or, to be more accurate, something Batman thinks I can't handle. But going this fast, this high, it seems almost impossible that anything could go wrong.

It reminds me of my days in the circus. Which reminds me...

I allow my line to reel me in to the top of one of the highest buildings in Gotham. I grin at the ledge, which juts up an extra three feet from where I stand. With a running start, I perform the amanar vault, rounding off from the ground, back hand springing from the ledge and ending it with several twisting layout backflips into open air.

HA! I _can_ do it without a spring board!

Laughing as I tumble into the air, I ready my line once more, firing it at another building. I reel as I swing, intent on doing another trick. I continue this pattern, simultaneously practicing acrobatic combinations and looking out for crime.

The best part is: people see Robin out and about, they fear the Batman! Crime is prevented just by my appearance.

I swing from another building, grinning madly at how this evening is shaping up to be.

Until my line is cut.

Minor hurdle. I have a back up line for both hooks and several different ways to prevent death by falling. However, if I didn't have those things, I'd've died, which means...

That's a crime. Sigh.

I quickly use my line on another building, switching to another and another just as quickly in case there are others.

Scaling a building beside it, I disappear into the shadows of the darkened windows, creeping along until I can see my assailants.

Their position isn't very tactical, so I'm even more careful about traps. I use my built in lens to zoom where I see shadowy figures. There are two, and they aren't very tall or thick. The more I zoom in, the more grainy the footage gets, and I give up.

Sending a quick "found something" signal to Batman with a low degree of warning, I fall onto the building silently and invisibly, taking cover behind one of the vents.

"-is as good as the newspapers say!"

Male. And young. I use a computer in my glove to analyze the voice.

"You know, which is good!" The results scroll on my display. Around sixteen, accent is Middle American, probably by the Great Lakes. "You know why?" He sounds very sarcastic, and has an undertone of annoyance. "Because you _cut_ his _line_!"

"Please," snarks a girl voice. She's older, I can tell. Same stats, except her older sounding voice. In just the one word, I can tell she has intelligence. "He couldn't survive four years of this kind of activity without that happening before. Besides, he caught himself."

"You're not very nice like this."

"I'm being logical." I raise an eyebrow under my mask, unimpressed. "You're being a pansy."

 **Help?** The message scrolls across my display from Batman.

 **No** , I reply. **Two teens, no special skills. Will request if need be.**

"Hol' up, I'm getting something," says the boy. I freeze. Did he hear my typing? No, I typed before and he didn't notice. My breathing? Heartbeat?

"What?" asks the girl breathlessly.

"My app just updated." I release my frozen stance as I hear a resounding slap. "OW! Hey."

"We are on a mission!" she hisses.

"Which we suck at! We don't have our team leader or or most competent member. I couldn't run a mile and you can't even get names right!"

"Yes I can! The heroes of this city are Batman and Batboy." She says it so smugly, I can't help but cackle. They both intake breath, and their feet shuffle, looking for the sound.

"Actually," I state, stepping into their view, "It's Robin."


	3. Chapter 3

Ow.

Actually, it's more like rh4y

[ bghilqh5y4rlkshq]hr

Kjn

Rkqe

Hroepqkj

!

But "ow" is a better description.

Amidst pain that makes my blood steam and roil, searing my very insides burn, I faintly wonder my name. D-D- Isn't there a D?

No, it's an F.

Or is it?

But the pain, angry at my distraction, swells and takes every conscious thought from me, except the ever present:

Fight, fight it. Please. It can't last forever... Just a little longer...

But not forever. Anything but forever.

* * *

 **I'm QueenStarrOfTheUniverse, hello all y'alls. I'm new here, if you haven't seen me before. I literally _just_ figured out how to post on this site, but I've been working on this story for a long time, so there are a lot of chapters to suddenly appear. Whoo! Let's do this. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

One hand on my hip, I let my expression question them.

The boy is wearing normal civilian clothes, but has a belt around his waist carrying various shiny weapons. I see a couple guns, but they don't look like they have bullets. He also wears a backpack with a thermos clipped to it. He has glasses and some kind of hat covering his hair. Beret, I think. His skin is dark.

The girl has much more weaponry, and looks efficient in it, too, by the way she holds her hands, ready to withdraw it. She has long red hair tied in a ponytail and fair skin. She wears bulky gloves and two utility belts slung in an X on her front, with another around her waist.

The boy looks from me to the girl, apprehension in his gaze. "Um..."

"You're not hurt, are you?" she demands, crossing her arms. I tilt my head slightly to the side before shaking my head. She huffs. "Then I'm not apologizing."

"And you wonder why you're always backup!" he shouts in exasperation.

"So are you going to tell me why you tried to make me plummet to my death, or should I just bring you in?" I ask goodnaturedly.

The boy looks at the girl sternly, but she just huffs again.

"I swear, that was all her. She wanted to get your attention, and I thought if we just waited here, than you'd end up on this building eventually, but when your line attached she just shot it and said 'that oughta get his attention'."

"Well, I guess you got it. What do you want?"

"My friends Danny and Sam have been missing for over three months. We did everything we could to find them, but nothing worked. And I mean everything. So we came here, hoping the whole 'greatest detective' thing wasn't just a myth, and you know, you'd help us."

"I'm flattered, but that's really more of my mentor's thing."

He shrugs. "We got in last night, nobody was out that we saw, and you were the only one we saw tonight."

I sigh. "I can't promise anything, but tell me about your friends."

The girl finally talks again. "Danny Phantom and Samantha Manson."

"Danny Phantom? What kind of name is that?" I ask as I type their names in.

"A hero name," she defends. I look up at her, a question in the tilt of my head. "He's a hero," she says softer.

"Never heard of him." I look back down at my display. "I'm not getting anything."

"They've been erased. I swear they're real, though, we're not making them up." The girl digs a hand in her pocket and pulls out a square of paper. She unfolds it twice and hands it to me.

Taking it, I angle it so I can get it into the light and out of my shadow. There are four people, all in various degrees of a fight.

The boy is holding a device-PDA, I think- to his chest with one hand and shoving the girl, who has an indignant look on her face as she talks to a girl who's clearly some kind of goth. I mark her as Sam.

Sam is folding her arms, her mouth also open in what I guess is a retort. A white haired kid with neon green eyes is flying, slightly above the three of them with a huge smile on his face and holding out his hands, like he's about to hug them all. That's Danny, I assume.

"You all don't look very happy," I remark.

"We were fighting, and he set up a camera and took a picture without us even noticing. He can turn invisible," supplies the girl.

"So Danny and Samantha are missing and erased?" They nod. "Danny's a hero, and Samantha's what?"

"We're all part of a team. Team Phantom. Danny's the leader, because he started the whole thing with his powers. Sam-by the way don't call her Samantha, she'll kill you- handles all the weapons, I do all the technology and Jazz here is back up."

"I am not back up!" she cries out.

"Your aim is permanently honed on Danny. Even when you are facing the _opposite direction_ you _still_ manage to hit him!"

"We all have things to work on."

The boy rolls his eyes all the way up into his head.

"They took the leader and the weapons expert?" I prompt, getting them back on topic.

"No, just Danny for what he is. Sam was just with him. After the whole 'kidnap and clone' thing with another enemy of ours he's not really supposed to investigate strange cases without one of us there. But they took them both!"

"Do you know who?"

"Yes. They're a branch of the government. The Guys in White."

"That's a lame name for a branch of the government," I mutter and type them in. I get a lot of stuff, so I begin narrowing it down to just government agencies. Finally, I get results. "Ghosts?"

My voice is so incredulous even I would feel like punching me in the face.

"Don't say no such thing," Jazz warns, looking like she _does_ want to punch me. "We've lived the past two years dealing with it, and Danny is a ghost, so don't you dare say there's no such thing."

"I wasn't going to. I have two best friends who have met a ghost." Of course, she was one of a kind and silent save for the one word "secret", but I'm open to there being more of a population. "Can he say more than one word?"

"Um, yeah..." says the boy, confused.

"Just wondering. What I meant before was, an entire section of the government that hunts them? That's a little ridiculous."

"But it's true," Jazz insists.

"I believe you," I assure. "Promise." I continue looking through my results.

"Can you help us?" the boy asks, hopeful.

"I'll have to ask Batman," I mutter, still absorbed in my screen. "But this is a very interesting case..."

"It is," agrees my mentor, stepping from the shadows. Being accustomed to this, I don't even jump, but I can't say the same for the other occupants on the roof. He stands in front of the two teens, towering over them. "Start explaining."

* * *

 **OH! Before I forget, these chapters alternate between Danny and Robin's POV. Any other changes will be announced. Also, just thought I'd inject the disclaimer here.**

** **Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.****


	5. Chapter 5

This has to be the worst thing that they've ever done to me!

Too much color, too much light, too much sound shut up shut up SHUTUPSHUTUP

Please.

Please, just be QUIET

Leave me alone, I didn't do anything! What did I do? Who am I stop stop

what's happening?!

Fight

NO

I don't know what I'm fighting, oh please stop stop STOP

Everything is a kaleidoscope

Why do the colors look wrong?

Dark white, light black, shadow, diamonds There is no white and black only shades of grey Are morally objectionable people that work for good on the side of light black? are people who look for darkness but appear to be good just dark white?

I hear screaming

No, that's the door opening

Am I afraid? Is that what this is

There's nothing to fear but fear itself

There's nothing to fear but fear itself

Theresnothingtofearbutfearitselftheresnothingtofearbutfearitselftheresnothingtofearbutfearitselftheresnothingtobeafraidofbutfearitselftheresnothingtofearbutfearitself

Ah, I'm dying

That's the light I'm walking into the light

No that's my eyes lighting up the wall

It looks like water

Am I crying?

Guys don't cry

I'm manly

I want to die

what's happening

Sam

Sam

...Sam...?

Purple eyes, beautiful purple eyes, lavender, lilac, light purple not very goth at all maybe amethyst i could never tell

Eyes open with concern never pity never sympathy concern and worry and relief and anger but never pity

"zz...zzz...zz.."

I can't understand you

but your eyes are beautiful

fingers at my eyes, eyes on me with a smile of concern eyes with no face, emotion with no soul

... No more fear

Just sleep

* * *

 **He's still all messed up.**

 **Again, more info I probably should've entered in earlier:**

 **I assume that the three seasons of DP was about a year and a half or so. He's sixteen in this fic. No Phantom Planet, but everything else is the same.**

 **In YJ, it's after season 1, which I assume was about a year. Pairings are pretty much what they were in the show.**

 **Artemis X Wally**

 **M'gann X Conner**

 **Sam X Danny**

** **Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.****


	6. Chapter 6

Batman looks baffled. I mean, he doesn't have an answer. And that's as baffled as you can make the Dark Knight. He looks at the empty result screen once more before looking at the two kids in front of us.

"This will take a while," he informs them. "They covered their tracks well."

"Okay, should we wait for a call, or... Oh wait, we asked you to help, not do it for us." I am again confused at Jazz. She's very logical, yet when it comes to finding her two friends she gets desperate and becomes rash.

Like the time she cut my line.

"Er, Jazz, he is helping us, maybe you shouldn't..."

"No, I need to help. I can't just sit around waiting for you to find Danny and Sam. I can help. I mean, we've been dealing with these guys for almost two years. We know Danny better than he knows himself and ghosts are our thing!" She names things as fast as she can think of them, making her argument come out uneven and unconvincing.

Batman will send them right home.

But he doesn't. To my eternal surprise.

Instead, "You two helped Danny Phantom be a hero?"

"Yes," the boy-Tucker, he'd finally said- answered, hesitant.

"You are trained. But not well."

Instead of blowing up, they both sigh. "Yeah..." they relent in unison.

Jazz groans in embarrassment. "I know self-defense methods and have been trained by a black belt from a young age. But I never cared about that kind of thing until Phantom popped up. For a long time, I ignored the hero thing and helped by covering and being in the background. Then when I got more involved I realized how sorely behind I was."

"And I'm more about tech. Danny tries to teach me stuff, but I just whine until we end up playing video games."

"How have you survived as heroes?" I ask, perhaps a little indelicately.

"We weren't heroes. We are sidekicks. In the literal sense of the word. We support Danny, but could never be actual stand alone heroes on our own," Jazz supplies.

"And you like that?" I scoff. Batman sends me a look and I just shrug.

"Sure. Being a hero sounds great and all, but I'm more into the normal kid scene. Danny doesn't romanticize the hero thing at all. It's hard. He doesn't get sleep, doesn't have time for friends or relaxing time, and he's so worried about villains all the time every time I see him he's jittery and nervous. I get danger and a fulfilling sense of duty but when I want to go home, I can."

Jazz nods in agreement.

Batman nods, as if expecting it. "Then I have a way you can help."

"Find Danny?" Jazz's eyes glitter.

Batman nods once. "There's a team of covert teen operatives." Wait, what? Batman isn't... he isn't offering these two random kids positions on our team, is he? "You two are skilled at the background, not the front lines. We need members like that. The assets of the team and their mentors would be at your disposal to find your friends, and I will look as well."

Jazz and Tucker share a look.

"But no fighting, right?" Tucker asks.

"There would be training, but it is unlikely you will be called outside the cave."

"Yes!" Jazz agrees, with a big smile. "Assuming there is a way out." Batman nods. "Then my answer is still yes!"

"Mine too," Tucker says next, albeit a little more warily.

"Then go back to Amity Park," Batman commands. Tucker and Jazz looked shocked, but seem to realize who they are talking to and relax into it. "I will have a Zeta Beam installed soon. Wait for me to contact you."

Tucker nods mutely. With a single glance from Batman, we disappear into the shadows and leave the two teens alone.

* * *

** **Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.****


	7. Chapter 7

The eyes don't return.

I long for them to come back.

They gave me a beautiful night, of rest and no nightmares. When the hallucinations faded with the eyes, I was able to heal. When I woke, I was in less pain than I have ever been.

Of course, it didn't last long.

But I remembered… Not a person, place, thing. Not a memory, but an impression, of a feeling. The feeling of power. Of flying. Being so high, untouchable, in control.

It made me long for something new.

The absence of feeling helpless. Feeling… in control, powerful? Maybe. I think it's just the desire to be free. But the people here have made it quite clear: even if I do escape…

I'll never be free.

There's nowhere for me to go. No one to go to.

But the more I think, the more I long. I rationalize, try to make it all lay out into a plan.

This is something to want. I can resist forever, that much is clear, but I can't live like this forever. Now I want out.

I need out.

I'm _going_ to get out.

Screw them and their security measures and their "specially designed" walls and guards and dogs and collar.

Screw it all.

This is happening.


	8. Chapter 8

Batman contacts the teens a week and a half later. They're impatient, and the relief that he hadn't forgotten his promise was evident in the text message they'd replied with, though Jazz more so than Tucker.

The conversation went something like this:

 **Are you able to reach a Zeta Beam without alerting anyone?**

Tucker: **Yes, where is it?**

Jazz: **I can distract my parents, yes, I'll say I'm going to the library. Where is the thing, I'll leave immediately.**

I chuckle a little at her tone, and Batman doesn't even chide me.

 **Between 109 and 111 on street 8900, there is a graffiti marking. The farthest down right brick with paint is a sensor. Place your hand there, an eye scan will then confirm your identity from another area. The Zeta Beam will take you to the Young Justice headquarters. Together, 4:30.**

Tucker: **Street 8900? You mean Boo Avenue?**

I can't help a snicker. Batman knew exactly what street it was, but I guess it wasn't "Batman" enough to say.

 **Yes**.

Tucker: **Okay.** I wonder if he's laughing.

Jazz: **We'll be there!**

I thought the exclamation point was a bit much, but I don't say anything and neither does Batman. He'd shut down my arguments about them joining the team with a single look, and hadn't been willing to reopen the subject.

"I get that there's no changing your mind," I start instead, "But can you at least tell me why?"

"Phantom has been on my radar for some time," Batman reveals, but I'm not really surprised. "There were several Leaguers that have gone to Amity Park and have seen varied results. They eventually concluded that the entire ghost thing was a hoax. I wasn't so sure. I wasn't ever able to investigate myself in person."

"Bruce Wayne is very busy," I agree. He's been doing this merge, or something, with an Axion Labs and it's kept Bruce Wayne in the spotlight almost every day for the past six, seven months.

"I researched online. The newspaper articles were poorly written and obviously exaggerated, the photos of horrible quality, and the proof shaky at best. However- the most popular ghost, Phantom, was real, at the very least. He could be a disguised human playing vigilante, but this photo" he refers to the picture of Phantom and his quarreling friends "proves the least he can do is fly. He might be able to much more, maybe everything the newspapers say. Though I doubt that."

"What does that have to do with Jazz and Tucker?"

"In my research, there were three individuals that have human identities that were constantly seen around Phantom. Jasmine Fenton, Tucker Foley and Samantha Manson. Each had records, either good or bad.

"Jasmine 'Jazz' Fenton is a certified genius. She has received the highest CAT score recorded and her IQ is estimated between 160-170." I give a small 'wow' of appreciation. "She's published studies on the human psyche that even I have used. She uses the pseudonym 'Dr. Marianne Cooke'.

"Tucker Foley is a bit more disguised. At first glance he seemed ordinary, but I looked deeper anyway" he ignores my muttered 'paranoid' and continues typing on his console "to find his computer records had shown evidence of major hacks. He is an accomplished programmer and his raw skill rivals yours or mine, even if it lacks technique."

"Impressive."

"Samantha Manson has records of kickboxing and karate instructions, mostly by private tutors. She has been in trouble with authorities for violence and protests a few times. All seems to be done discreetly."

"She didn't tell her friends?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Not to your knowledge?" I ask with a smirk.

"Not everything can be learned on a screen, Robin. I can only guess how they interacted in person. But it was encrypted cleverly, something that would dissuade the normal hacker, like Tucker Foley."

"Wait," I stop. "How did you get this? I thought Sam and Phantom were erased."

"This is a personal file. Yes, everything online is dissolved. No trace."

"Something even you can't trace?" I murmur. "But it's online... Everything sticks online."

"I'll have to conduct further investigations. For now, training starts with Black Canary soon. I will be at the Mount at 4:30 to meet the new arrivals."

I mutter an ascent and head over to the Zeta Portal, keying in my location. "See ya, Alfred!" I call, and the entering butler waves me goodbye as I step inside.

When I walk inside, Artemis and Wally are arguing, as they always are, and Zatanna watches with veiled amusement.

"Robin, B-01," announces the Beam. Zatanna smiles and makes her way over to me, but the couple don't even acknowledge my existence. Rude.

"Hey," she greets.

"How much would you bet that Artemis shoots him?" I ask in way of saying hello.

Expecting something like this, Zatanna immediately replies, "That she'll try to shoot him, or she'll actually hit him?"

"If she's shooting, she's not going to miss."

"I don't know, Wally's pretty fast."

"So it's either the skills of Wally or the skills of Artemis," I muse. "Pick your hero."

"Wally."

"Obviously I'm going with the more competent one," I brag. "Artemis."

"How much money?"

"Ten jillion dollars."

She smirks. "I'll raise you to a floppity jillion. Unless you're too scared."

"I can live with a floppity jill more. It's always nice to have a couple bucks lying around. Now the only question is how to get them from threats to actually killing each other."

"Hmm..."

Zatanna and I were blatantly ignoring that Artemis and Wally had stopped arguing in order to listen to our negotiations.

Artemis huffs. "We can hear you! Honestly."

"Oh, our bad!" I give an apologetic shrug and turn back to Zatanna. "What if you were to cast some kind of spell?"

"I think I have one..."

Artemis and Wally share a glance. "Whoever kills them first gets twenty bucks," Wally suggests.

Artemis loads her bow while answering, "You are soo on."

She lets her arrow fly at me and I laugh as I duck and then leap into the air to avoid another arrow shot at my feet.

Wally charges Zatanna, and she grins widely before holding out her hand and chanting, "On ytivarg!" Suddenly running in thin air, Wally flails his arms widely. The rest of us lift into the air, gravity reversing.

Luckily, I have experience with this.

As Artemis gropes for another arrow which are trying to escape from her quiver, I withdraw my staff and kick off from the ground towards the wall, using that as a springboard.

I push off towards Wally, raising my staff high, but gravity cuts back in as Zatanna's spell wears off. As Wally faceplants, Zatanna stumbles and Artemis hits the ground in a roll, I simply flip and land on my feet and sit on Wally's back.

"Oof, Robin, get off," complains Wally, struggling to escape.

I cackle.

I sense suddenly that I should move, but before I can I hear Zatanna yell, "Nrut sworra ot ecirocil!" And red licorice hits the back of my head. I mentally replay her command in the correct order and let out a cry of indignation, leaping to my feet. "Hey, you shot arrows at my head!" I grab one of the whips of licorice and bite off a piece, pointing the rest at her. "You're insane."

My legs are kicked out from under me, and I backflip several times to regain my balance. Wally zips to Artemis's side. "And you're too concerned with candy," he taunts.

"Bet is doubled to forty, for the teams," I demand. Wally and Artemis nod, and Zatanna and I charge again.

Not too long later Superboy and Miss Martian, followed by Kaldur, enter the cave and watch us fighting. Since we offer no explanation, Miss Martian finally asks, "Who offended who?"

"Who offended _whom_ ," I correct, and Wally punches me really hard in the gut.

"Just for that, I'm on Artemis and Wally's side."

And she joins the fight, stopping my explosive in the air. It explodes harmlessly. "Now it's fifty," Zatanna grunts, narrowly avoiding a punch from Artemis.

"Money? I'll join." Superboy jumps to Wally's aide, who had gone flying because of Zatanna's spell.

"Hey, no fair. We have only two," I pout, but then beat back all four at once with different attacks. "But now it's sixty."

"Make it an even seventy, and I'll be on your team, Robin," Kaldur volunteers, pulling out his water bearers.

Now with seven members in the fight, it becomes more interesting and eventful. Black Canary comes through for training, but we aren't in the mood to stop.

"Why are you fighting?" she asks after a moment.

"Don't know," Superboy grunts out, fighting against Kaldur's water.

"Don't remember," chuckles Zatanna. "Worht kcab Yobrepus!"

Canary sighs, but lets us fight, giving the occasional correction. I let Zatanna fight Artemis and Miss Martian and Kaldur hold off Wally and Superboy, opting to ruin the opposing side's efforts to overcome based on numbers.

I let Wally run at me, but twist drastically so he runs into Superboy, who is thrown off balance. For someone that fast, he has slow reflexes!

Using my pole, I javelin up to where Miss Martian is floating and pull her cape over her head, landing on Artemis's shoulders on my way down.

However, Wally had recovered from his predicament and slammed into me as I flipped off Artemis. I go flying, but manage to go feet first into the wall, using my momentum for another flip.

"S'nibor elop si a ekans!" cries Zatanna, and my pole's metal falls limp and crawls up my arm. I yelp and shake my arm vigorously.

"Get him!" cries Kaldur, and my entire team at once launches at me.

The final thing I hear as I'm overwhelmed is, "Guest B-07, Guest B-08."

* * *

 **Ha, ha! Here they meet the team!**

** **Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.****


	9. Chapter 9

I can't tell if I'm running or flying, but I'm moving. My side is aching, but I ignore it, continuing to move as fast as I can.

There are so many traps, and only my instincts manage to keep me unscathed. Well, mostly. My agility is a little off after so long down here...

I ignore the burns and continue stumbling forward.

I hear the howling of dogs, and alarms. They're getting closer. Too close...

"Come on," I whisper through my pain, glaring at my hands. The collar dampens my powers, I've discovered. I saved enough energy to rip it off-painfully, but still off- and now my power is trickling back.

My hands glow briefly. Ectoplasm... I immediately launch it in front of me, and the wall takes the brunt of the force. But my blast isn't strong enough to break the wall. I push harder, power leaking, and the wall finally gives way, tearing apart to the side, in front of me, away from the outside, creating a hole.

I throw myself through it, into open...

Dirt?

I'm underground... No, no, no...

I shake my head and gasp in air as the dogs get louder. I can do this. I can go through solid ground. Focusing, I throw myself into... well, the rock. My face hurts now. I try again, and this time I make it through. I push up, up, up...

My intangibility fades twice, and I almost suffocate, but manage to get it returned. Finally, I reach the air. Air, air...

I fall back on the grass, so spent I could die, right here. My nose bleeds and my eyes are leaking. Above me are stars, twinkling infinite stars barely coming out in the fading sky.

Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Orion...

"Pathetic..." comes a voice, and a boot briefly blocks out the stars before it comes down on me and I'm lost to oblivion.

But in an instant I remember smirking just as the boot descended.

There's a way out...

* * *

 **Sorry for the consistently short chapters about Danny. Don't worry, he gets longer ones later on.**

** **Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.****


	10. Chapter 10

"Well, that just sucks. For Robin, I mean." I recognize Tucker's voice even under all these fat heads.

Immediately, the team is off me and observing the new arrivals. I groan as I get up, shaking lose my pole from my arm and brushing off my cape. "Traitors," I mutter.

"Yeah, well, we all got you, so you owe us all seventy dollars," snipes Zatanna, before looking back at who I now see are Jazz and Tucker.

"Who are you two?" asks Kaldur politely. He knows they came in through the Zeta Beam, so they must be allies, but of course he doesn't know who they are.

"This is Jazz," I chirp, going over to them with a big smile. "And Tucker! I would've told you they were coming and all, but I was busy with the whole betrayal thing."

"In my experience, people tend to betray the most competent member of the team to feel better about their own contribution," Jazz says.

The team protests loudly, and I grin widely. "I've found that to be true, too!" I yell over them.

"What are they even doing here?" asks Wally, a tad insensitively.

"Apparently we're here to help your team or something..." Tucker is doing something on his screen when he mutters this, but finishes up and slides it into his pocket.

"New team members?" asks Zatanna. "Great, I guess. What powers do you guys have?"

"... None," mutters Jazz. She's not wearing all her armor today, but carries a backpack I'm sure is full of it and a shiny silver and green belt. Tucker also has most of his stuff off and the belt, but also has a techy watch I didn't notice before.

"Yep. We're really just here to find a couple friends of ours, one of which actually does have powers," supplies Tucker. I file him away as either very trusting or a very bad secret keeper.

I wonder briefly where Batman is.

"What are your skills?" asks Aqualad.

"I am amazing with technology," boasts Tucker with a large grin. "And Jazz here is good at being-"

"I swear, Tucker, if you say backup I will kick you _and_ break your PDA."

"Like you could," he scoffs, but when she glares at him his exasperated expression turns into one of apprehension. "But, er, you definitely rock at... um... humans."

"What?" I ask, before Jazz can.

"I'm a psychology major," she supplies.

"I like psychology, too! I'm a psychic!" M'gann has recovered from whatever had held her back from greeting Tucker and Jazz before and flies over and extends her hand. "You can call me Miss Martian!"

Tucker takes her hand immediately, his technology forgotten. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. We have another Wally... Why does no one ever have a crush on me? I mean, except Zatanna. And maybe Barbara. And a couple girls in my math class. I grin. I do okay on my own.

"Psychic?" Jazz seems skeptic. At least, that's what I see at first, but she seems more... wary? I guess? Like she doesn't trust M'gann because of her powers? I'm about to ask her about it, but Miss Martian is already doing her enthusiasm thing.

"Yep! Don't worry, though, I won't read your minds." She gives a blinding smile.

"So you're from Mars?"

She nods in affirmation.

Jazz continues. She talks directly to Superboy, having to lean around M'gann a bit to see him fully. "And you're from space, too, right?"

"I'm from Earth," he says. "But I'm part alien, yeah." He's automatically defensive from the single question.

"Two aliens..." she muses.

"Are you... against aliens?" asks Zatanna.

"Oh, no!" Tucker exclaims. "Course not... It's just a little weird..."

"Why?" growls Superboy. Dude... Mellow...

"Err, our friend is a huge fangirl about space. We just assumed, you know, he'd meet an alien first." Tucker gives kind of shaky smile, his hand going to his PDA. I mark that as his nervous habit. "We have to collect the data, cuz he won't speak to us for weeks if we met you guys and didn't have all the information."

"Assuming we find him," Jazz mutters bitterly.

"Who's your friend?" probes Wally, interested in a new case. Things have died down since the Missing Hours Fiasco, and we're all a little jittery for action.

I jump in. "He's a ghost! Whatcha gonna say about that, Kid?"

He's immediately skeptical, but Zatanna and Artemis exchange a knowing look. M'gann and Superboy look instantly confused, probably still uneducated on paranormal stuff like this, and Aqualad maintains a neutral look.

Tucker and Jazz aren't amused at my outburst.

"I'd prefer to introduce him simply as _Danny_ ," emphasizes Jazz, annoyed.

"A ghost..." mutters Kid.

"Can he speak more than one word?" asks Zatanna.

Tucker looks between me and her. "What is up with you guys and that? Is it some sort of inside joke?"

"No. There's a ghost we met, only said 'secret'. She helped us in a fight against her power crazy brother," supplies Artemis.

"Must've been her obsession," Jazz theorizes. We focus on her with varying curiosity, waiting for her to continue. "I dabble in ghost psychology, too. But, um, this girl, did she focus on one goal?"

Artemis speaks up again. "Her brother killed her so he could be pure, to get this sword. He was insane, attacked Zatanna and I for sport. She led us back to her home. Harm-his name- saw her, and the second he did the sword rejected him. Then she faded back into her grave."

"Was there any light?" Jazz asks.

"Like a ball of it, yeah. Took it out of his chest and then faded into the dirt," Zatanna tells her.

"That's a fulfillment of an obsession. It's very rare with ghosts. Actually, for ghosts older than a year. If ghost's obsessions are easy, than they ascend relatively quickly. Like avenging a death. She didn't sound very powerful, either, if all she could do is say one word. Most ghosts have elaborate obsessions. The more unattainable, the more powerful the ghost. I mean, I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule... Maybe the harder it is to get the more you want it and ghosts fuel on emotion-"

"Jazz..." Tucker groans. Jazz gives a sheepish look, but her brows furrow, still trying to work out whatever she was ranting about.

"What's this friend of yours obsession?" asks Aqualad, finally entering the ghost conversation.

"Don't know." Tucker shrugs. "It's very broad."

I tip my head to the side. Jazz elaborates, coming out of her world.

"Heroism. Sometimes it includes the whole world, sometimes just his close group of friends and other times just himself. He has to protect something. Not sure if it's specifically linked to anything, yet. But he is powerful. Really, really powerful."

With this, the Zeta Beam activates, announcing the arrival of Batman. I vaguely wonder why he's late, but when he steps through I know. His limp is so slight I barely caught it, but I can tell he got a little wrapped up.

He observes the room. I give him a slight smile as his gaze roams over me and for almost a second I think I can see him return it. But as quick as it's there it's gone.

"Are you going to explain now?"

I nearly jump out of my skin, and I'm not the only one. I forgot that Black Canary was here! She hadn't said a word since I'd been attacked-betrayed- and Jazz and Tucker came.

Batman recalls our meeting with them in that cryptic way of his, glossing over points I'm sure he wants to keep quiet or that he doesn't deem important. Jazz corrects her name when he says it Jasmine with the same acrimonious tone that Tucker used when I called Sam by her full name.

"But ghosts!" sputters Wally at the end of it.

"KF, don't be insensitive," snaps Artemis immediately.

"I'm just surprised it took this long," yours truly snipes, and Wally sends me a look that resembles the Bat Glare.

Batman speaks before this can turn into a full-blown argument. "Regardless if you acknowledge the existence of these ghosts or not, their friend is wholly sentient and entitled to be found. However, this is not my team. Aqualad, it is your decision."

Everyone turns to him.

"We could use some homebase members," he begins, sending a small smile to the two non-superheroes. "And finding people is part of the job. We'd be honored to take your case."

"Great!" Tucker cries.

"Are there any objections?" Batman asks, like he doesn't expect there to be any.

One by one the team shakes their head, and when it comes my time I vigorously nod my head. Batman doesn't ask. So I explain. "They need some names!"

Tucker and Jazz exchange glances. Jazz gives a neutral look and points to Tucker. "Technogeek."

Tucker coughs, badly concealing a "backup".

They both look ready to fight each other. "Noooo," I whine. "Good names. Superhero names. Like, um, Vision, for you Jazz. Cuz psychology. And Technolad!" Batman looks at me knowingly. I'd been working on this the other day, and now he knew what I had been doing.

Jazz seems to like the name, but Tucker crinkles up his nose. "How about Aparato?"

"How'd you come up with that?" asks Jazz.

"Danny did. Esperanto for 'device'. We're into Esperanto." He folds his arms, smiling smugly.

"Hey team, guess what?!" I shout excitedly.

They all look at me.

"We have new members. This here is Vision, and this is Aparato! Guys, welcome to the team!"

* * *

 **Hope these names are okeedokee... I used a superhero name generator and it came up with something like Orange Vision and Device-monger or something so I went from there... They seem to fit, at least to me...**

** **Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.****


	11. Chapter 11

The locks are harder, now.

Punishments more severe.

Less toleration.

But my smirk is back.

There's a way out. There's a way out! I got out, for just a few precious seconds! And it was worth it, all the added security and cruelty. There were stars in the sky, an infinite expanse that tells me once I get out, there are a million places to go where these white coats can never find me. I _can_ be free, and I will be!

Thinking about this renews my vigor, and I start straining against the ectoranium cuffs on my wrists and ankles. This is how I got out last time. I broke them. But I don't have the strength this time...

Still, I yank my hands, desperate to free myself, tugging on poorly done stitches and putting strain on my bruises and cuts.

A warning shock is administered to my neck- the most unbearable of the new changes. "Warning shocks". They feel like fire in my blood.

Yet I continue straining.

Another shock, this time worse. So bad, in fact, I stop, leaning heavily back against the wall, panting. The shock... I hadn't screamed; it wasn't the worst. Yet the shivers of electricity still ache in my veins, a pain so familiar it's terrifying.

Still, after the spasms end, I struggle again.

"Zzz...pp..."

I don't understand the command, but my straining slows to a stop. I lean back, searching for the buzzing voice. There is nothing, but my eyes skim the room, looking for something.

Nothing.

Except... A patch of darkness slightly darker than the rest of the room. So subtle I believe my eyes are playing tricks on me. I incline my head towards it, as if to tell it I see it.

I'm crazy. Because it moves. Closer, out of the shadows. It is a shadow, but it seems congealed almost. It's come off from the wall. It moves closer, still nothing more than a slight distortion of darkness.

Then, I see the eyes. The eyes, purple eyes. It's as transparent as the rest of the shadow, barely perceptible, but the color is unmistakable.

I know you. I don't know who you are, but I know it's you. I can't remember your name. What's your name?

"Zzz... mmm..."

The words, so soft, muddled. I can't make it out, but I hear an "am" sound, with a hard A. "Amo," I whisper with my broken vocal chords. "Amo."

"Zzz... mmm..." it tries to correct.

I don't care if I'm wrong. "Amo." I struggle again. I must get to it. But it moves quickly, coming so close. This close, it is just another part of dark, but I know it's there.

The most coherent sound comes as a "wai..." I know immediately. I need to wait. I will wait.

* * *

 ****Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.****


	12. Chapter 12

"I'm dying!" cries Tucker, barely getting out those few words before gasping air again. I grin, happy at my torture. He lands heavily on an exercise bench, grabbing his water bottle and alternating between drinking and breathing.

"I don't think so," I sing, and I play a new song for him: Stronger, by Kelly Clarkson (What else?). I give him one of my signature grins that is usually followed with a punch from the recipient. But Tucker can't land a punch on a dummy, let alone me.

"I hate this song," he groans, as it goes into the "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" part. "Danny loved it though. Something about irony." His melancholy comment ticks me off.

"I hate your attitude," I snipe. "Fifty more laps! MWAHAHA!"

"I'm dying because I ran seven!" he cries, looking almost terrified.

"Fine. I'll call in KF and he'll run with you. It'll be fun!"

He points at me, swallowing his mouthful of water. "You overestimate my pride. As unhealthy as I am, I've accepted it."

I smile, this time prideful. "Seven almost doubles your last try. Have you been following the training schedule I sent home with you?"

"I tried not to," he whines, standing again. "But Jazz wouldn't let me be lazy!"

I laugh. Jazz is such a hard trainer. She was driven by it a little obsessively. She ran until she dropped, and her determination was scary solid. She reminds me of Bruce.

As long as they don't go beyond their physical limits, they can train as hard as they like, but I'm a little scared that Jazz is ignoring her's.

"I don't mean to offend, I promise, but are you not as invested as Jazz?" I don't really know how to phrase it. The look on his face tells me I did it wrong.

But instead of yelling, he gives a heavy sigh and sits back down, hands on his knees. "No, I would do anything to find my friends. I just... I feel like none of this will help. I'm waiting for something to _happen_. We still haven't found _anything_ , and I- I don't know. I guess I'm just tired."

"I get it." I go to sit next to him. "I've solved hundreds of cases with the Batman, many of which I personally identified with. Sometimes giving your all isn't going to help anything. But somehow I doubt that'll stop Jazz."

He shakes his head. "She and Danny... They're really close."

"Dating?"

He sputters, shaking his head vigorously. "OH, no, no, no, ew no." He shakes his head once more. "The very image. No."

Surprised at his reaction, I defend, "That's usually what 'close' means..."

"No. Danny and Sam are _close_. The romantic way. Though they won't really admit it. But Jazz and Danny, they're... well, they're related."

"This didn't come up before," I exclaim, but my voice drops in volume.

"In terms of closeness," he elaborates, but it's almost like he's correcting himself. "Danny and Sam are close like boyfriend/girlfriend, Danny and Jazz are close like brother/sister."

"Ah." But I'm not really convinced. Jazz does act like a protective older sister about Danny. I let it drop, though. They haven't told us everything, and it's obvious that there are secrets they are trying to keep for this Phantom person. But Batman, in all his paranoia, hasn't pushed for answers, so he must not think it important or malicious. "What about Sam?"

"What about her?"

"You guys seem a lot more concerned with Danny, to be honest."

He shrugs. "They want Danny because he's a ghost. Technically, ghosts aren't allowed to be in the human world. But Sam's human. She can take care of herself. I think maybe something happened to her memory, or she's trapped in the Ghost Zone, somehow. At the very least, she's with Danny but safe."

"That's pretty optimistic."

"This coming from you?" He laughs. "I've only known you, what? Maybe three days consistently, and I can already say with a hundred percent surety that you are more optimistic than I am."

I shrug, still a huge grin. "Have you met Batman? Someone needed to contradict him. Can you imagine two stoic heroes? Ha! Should we do more training?" Tucker follows my topic-switching relatively easy, to my surprise and joy.

He sighs for a solid thirty seconds before: "Yeah... okay. But hey, can we do something more fun?"

"Like gymnastics? Sparring? Weapons? Non-gun variety. It's a make a weapon of anything sort of training."

"Why is gymnastics on that list?"

"Acrobatics are the key to any good fighter. Flexibility, speed, agility. Or, to epicly parkour on buildings. It's part of what makes Batman and I such great vigilantes."

"That's your specialty. Not everyone's. What about the other team members? What are their acrobatics?"

First I start leading him in stretches, very much so showing off. "Well... Superboy's brute strength. And anger. But he channels it well. KF is our speedster, so obviously his strength is speed. Kinda impulsive though. Zatanna is a quick thinker. She has to be, doing the whole backward spell thing. M'gann identifies personally to people; she's the best negotiator we've got, and the best psychic. Artemis is skilled in weaponry and fighting technique. She has finesse. Most determined, for sure. Kaldur is the most focused. He adapts the best. He's cool under pressure. The leader."

"Yeah, what's up with that? I'd think you'd be the leader..." Tucker can't do the splits. I ease him into a bent legs position that will help with the splits later.

I shake my head. "Kaldur's a better choice. He's mature, level headed. Knows best. I'm still learning. Teams weren't ever really my forte. I guess now they are. But I'm still not ready for a team of my own."

Tucker raises an eyebrow at me. "That sounds like you're assuring yourself."

I shrug. Kaldur still reminds me ever so often that if I want to be the leader all I have to do is tell him, and he'll step down immediately. So instead of confronting that, I ask him about his team's strengths.

"I, of course, am the most talented of the bunch." I roll my eyes and change stretch positions. "Technology, elaborate distractions, incredible looks. I'm all that. Sam is the most competent. Best fighter, instincts, street smarts. She's also rich. Danny is our leader, the powers, bravery, selflessness. Jazz is the... I want to say smartest, but she isn't really good at the instincts. I'll say book smart. She has all this knowledge, she understands how things work. There was this feud with reality a while back, and the only reason we won was because Jazz primed Danny to use ghost psychology or something. I don't know. I was on this death roller coaster. Wasn't really concerned with what they were doing. Anyway, Danny used this dude's jealousy of ghosts and so the guy used his reality powers to turn himself into a ghost. Then Danny sucked him up in the thermos." I tilt my head in question. "It's a containment device."

Tucker talks a lot. I use this as a distraction to switch stretches, using the better ones that are bit more uncomfortable, like twists. He follows without objection.

"Where was the Justice League during this? I mean, assuming it was big enough to attract League attention."

"It definitely was! Huge!" He waves his arms for emphasis. " And I don't know what happened. I think he imprisoned you guys or something."

"I missed that?"

"No, Danny erased all reality so only the four of us knew what happened. Then destroyed the Reality Gauntlet."

"Wow, you guys have cool adventures." I don't mention all _my_ cool adventures.

"Not as cool as yours. Definitely weirder."

"Weider than a bunch of clowns killing people with gas that makes you laugh to death?"

Tucker smirks in a way that tells me I've lost this battle.

"One of the first ghosts we fought was a lunch lady that wanted to take over the world with meat." He sniffs. "It was a cruel betrayal."

I laugh until I realize he's serious. Then, I laugh even harder. "That is way weird!"

"We also had a singer that got power by people saying her name, a technology ghost that liked to set humans up together, a little kid that only kids can see that wants to stay young forever, a hunter that lives in an robotic suit-because he's a blob- and the pièce de résistance: The Box Ghost."

"What does he do?"

"Annoy, mostly. Throws boxes at people."

I laugh again at the ridiculous notion of that. Then, I stand up from my V position. "Let's start at the beginning. Somersaults."

I can just see his amazing acrobatic skills. He has zero flexibility, his fitness is nonexistent, and he doesn't have any desire to be an active superhero. But he's going to be. This is my pet project. (Jazz is Artemis's because she's the only one who can keep up with Jazz's rigorous training.)

Tucker groans, but I grin. This is going to be sooo much fun.

* * *

 ****Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.****


	13. Chapter 13

Time passes.

I get restless.

The pain is becoming more unbearable because I'm taking it. I could try to leave, make a plan and bust out of here. But the eyes, Amo, won't let me. The eyes are so intense. There is no room for argument.

But I do not lose anymore memories. Not that I had any to lose. But the memories, the fond ones with the eyes and my escape attempt stay with me, even as I fight for will.

I think it's Amo. Their presence helps my mind stay in its state of meager stability. It doesn't get any worse.

And that's the greatest thing.

The time I wait doubles my time here. I don't know how long that is...

The men in white coats have started getting a tad more bold, but have decreased how often they do it. They are also more focused on the power side of being a ghost.

Wait, ghost? Where did that come from? I don't remember ghosts... Yet that's what I am. The white coats called me that, but I thought it was my name... Guess I'm _a_ ghost and not... Ghost. Is my mind getting better? Or only getting worse?

But my power continued to grow. And they are curious why. Well, "curious". More like "desperate to know". I don't know what they are thinking. I feel just as weak as ever, yet they look at power levels and claim them to be growing.

It's probably my other half.

He's getting restless, too. He wants to breathe, his heart to beat, to feel hormones and the constant flux of emotions.

But Amo continues to reassure. Continues to say wait.

How much longer?

Soon.

How close is soon?

Don't know.

Then soon could be a week or a month or years?

No. Soon.

Days?

Don't know.

I shouldn't listen. I should break out! Get out!

But still, I wait. Something tells me Amo would kill me more than dead if I decide to ignore.

I _am_ crazy. Taking orders from a pair of eyes.

* * *

 ****Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.****


	14. Chapter 14

I flick a wet piece of hair out of my face, only to have it fall back. I groan in frustration, shoving it back. Then again. And again, growing more and more frustrated.

Wally puts a hand on my arm, stopping me from moving the bang again. His eyebrows are raised. "Dude. Chill."

I just glare and move back, out of his reach. The entire team exchanges glances, but that just irks me more. "Don't pretend I don't see that!" I exclaim, a little childishly.

"Rob, it was just a mission," M'gann says, softly. She's disappointed, too. Just hiding it better.

"A _failed_ mission," I reply bitterly.

"Not entirely. We got more information. Took down another facility. Closer," Artemis insists. "We're getting closer."

I don't reply. Closer. We'd been getting "closer" for far too long. Like getting closer to the end of infinity; no matter how close we get, we're never going to get there. I like that analogy, so I say it outloud.

Kaldur just gives a shake of his head in disapproval. "Don't get discouraged. I know you are, but keep your hopes up. For Tucker and Jazz."

This was the eighth facility we'd visited in the past few months. Batman comprised a list of all the ones he'd found, and every facility revealed more confidential information that narrowed down the list. Some even brought up more secret facilities. That was only more disheartening. There could be a hundred more secret facilities.

These guys... They may be a small branch of the government or whatever, but they have so. Many. Buildings.

At least this mission was even more smooth than the last. Integrating two new members into our team had been rocky. It took an enormous amount of technology and martian intervention to create a way to connect Tucker and Jazz to our mindlink from so far away.

It had been Jazz's idea. An organic substance that hardened when electricity was applied. We wired it with long-distance transmitters, plugged them in for constant electric flow, and BAM! Now we had two more voices in our heads. I mean, now M'gann wore a small earpiece in order to transmit psychic waves through the organic transmitters, but she didn't mind.

And Jazz and Tucker-Vision and Aparato- were relatively well-versed in being on a team. During the missions, they are stationed in front of the Cave's computer, one screen checkerboarded with camera feeds from our suits and the other two for Jazz and Tucker to research.

The first mission, they were a little freaked by the mindlink (as we all were), and were still trying to figure out how to keep some thoughts private and others in the link. They scatter-brained a bit when we ran into some trouble, and sometimes got distracted. But I had to say, having a stream of info when we needed it was insanely helpful.

Now, this being our eighth GIW excursion (ninth mission overall), it was almost seamless. There was a downside, however. They'd become a part of our team. They're our friends, now. That means every time we come back without their Danny and Sam, we feel disappointment almost as strongly as them.

Plus, I'm in a bad mood because I fell in a tank of water and now I'm wet. More specifically, my socks are wet. Urgh.

When we get back, Jazz is the only one at the computers. "Tucker has school in the morning," she explains. She graduated a while ago, she told us some time back. I leave immediately, switching outfits for a dry one, but mostly to avoid her disappointment.

The team is cleared out when I get back, leaving Jazz alone at the computers again. "Where'd everyone go?" I ask from directly behind her. She doesn't jump; apparently hanging out with ghosts (and then me) makes her immune to scares like that.

"Everyone but Zatanna, M'gann and Conner-who are in the showers- went home." I check the clock. 3:12. Yeah, I get them, it is pretty late. I mean, not for me. Okay, because I have school tomorrow at 6:15 (it's an hour earlier for gymnastics practice) and have to wake up in about two and a half hours, it's a little bit late for me. At least I got a nap earlier in the night.

"Watcha working on?"

"Just analyzing what you guys found." Then she sighs. "We're missing something..."

"We always are," I agree. "Every investigation. Always a missing piece."

"Let's see. We've analyzed the money, electricity and information going in and out of facilities, the number of workers and their qualifications, extensiveness of security systems and land, geographical location and space. And the type of facility, of course. What's missing!?" She puts her head in her hands.

I have a sudden craving for something chewy.

"Man, they're good at hiding him," I admit. "Have any licorice?"

She gives me an odd glance. "Taffy, maybe."

"That'll work."

"For what?" Even exasperated, she digs out the candy from her backpack and hands a couple pieces to me.

"For consumption." I unwrap the candy and pop it in my mouth. This has no special meaning: I'm just hungry.

Until... it does. "What if we just ask them?" Kind of a stretch (ha, stretch. Taffy. Ha!) from asking Jazz for candy, but we haven't tried it before, and we can't just keep searching these places.

"Where Danny is?"

"Why not? We've already seen they're not subtle. And boasty. What if we just say, 'hey, where's the Phantom guy?'"

"That wouldn't work," she concludes. "Not about to let everyone know where their prize is." We're quiet for a moment, except for my chewing. "But how about we get them to take us there? Like give them something they'd take to him, and track it."

"What'd they take to him? A care package?" I pop another taffy in my mouth as she mulls it over. "Noooo, a new weapon. A new weapon!"

She cocks her eyebrow. "What new weapon?"

"It wouldn't be real. But they're cocky. So cocky, in fact, that if we _gave_ them a new weapon as a _care package_ , they'd totally accept it!"

"What kind of thing?"

"Danny, he's an ice ghost person, right?"

"...Sure..."

"Is that rare?"

"Incredibly. He, another ice ghost named Klemper, and a small civilization of yetis, are the only ones spotted." Suddenly she follows my train of thought. "A weapon that say, neutralizes or enhances a ghost's ice power! If they're trying to stimulate or dampen it, wherever he is, they'll take the weapon! My parents can send it! FentonWorks has long since been a fan of them" she grimaces at the thought for just a second "and it wouldn't be unusual. This is genius!" She grabs her bag and rushes for the Zeta Beam. "Robin, you're a genius!"

Then she uses the portal and is gone.

I pop another taffy in my mouth. "Yep, that's what they tell me."

* * *

 ****Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.****


	15. Chapter 15

One of these days… I'm going to call one of these white coat's mother.

I can imagine how that conversation would go.

"Hi."

"Hello, who is this?"

"I'm a friend of your son's."

"Really! How so?"

"Well, he tortures and experiments on me. So not really well. You have a real jem, ma'am."

"..."

"Ma'am?"

"Am I on the radio?"

Alright, so even I know they wouldn't believe me. A guy can, hope, though, can't he?

Pain wracks through me, sweeping away coherent thought. A primal instinct comes up immediately, blocking the scream and any plea for mercy. Colors explode before my eyelids, green and red but not reminding me of Christmas at all.

At the reprieve that follows the initial shock of being hurt, I grasp for a coherent thought that will distract me.

Faces flash before my eyelids. I don't recognize them, teal eyes, sky blue eyes, turquoise sea green ocean baby blue brown black

I shake them away. Fragments of memories come to the front of my mind, just glimpses.

"-eat! Why have you betrayed me?!"

"Psychoanalysis is not all spec-"

"-nother F? One more and I'll have to call-"

"LOSER"

"I think I might have a-"

All different memories. No faces, no names, no distinguishable voices. Just sound.

My thoughts start pounding along with my new injury spawned from an electric wound on my temples. Electricity…

A flash of green tinted electricity flashes before my mind's eye.

I find a thought that is complete, starting with a capital letter. Ending with punctuation.

Where does the red come from? Green and red. I'm full of green substance, leaking through wounds and reflecting in my glowing eyes. Where does the red come from?

A shatter of pain rips through me again, and my mind clears into a sudden wasteland. I'm suspended for a fraction of a second, empty, before I'm filled with only pain, and I let out a scream so loud I can't hear it at first.

Once I start, I can't stop, and I let out a wail for as long as I have oxygen, before it sucked back in, leaving the room in a dreadful, heavy silence. I let out a ragged breath, breaking the suspended quiet.

Nothing. No more pain, no more taunting. Silence.

It's horrible. I'm awaiting a doom I know will happen but do not know when. I fear relishing the quiet moment of reprieve, because in just a moment it can be shattered. My eyes stay shut. I want to cry, but I refuse.

The door is opened. I slowly pry open my eyes, as curious as full of dread. A white coat, a woman. Her brunette hair is pulled up into a severe bun, her eyes warm chocolate. She's wearing makeup to cover her age, though she's not old. She walks with a bounce in her step, bun bobbing with every touch of the ground, a small, genuine smile.

I hate this woman.

With every bit of myself. Every part I don't know, can't remember, do remember. I hate her.

In short, she sucks.

Hasn't given me a name, but I have a very distinct need to call her Evil Barbie. Not even because she's pretty, tall and skinny. She has the permanent smile, but the eyes that reflect nothing. She's a doll. Feels nothing when she rips you apart in your sleep.

She places a circular device with twinkling green lights on a table. She hums as she presses the center button. Grins widely at me as it whirs, twiddling her fingers as she exits the room. I regard it with terror.

But it does nothing. Just hums with electricity, blinking green lights. I feel no difference physically or mentally. I'm just… Confused.

What is the point of this device? I notice a name on the side, but it's blocked by a piece of black electrical tape. They put it in the middle of the name, so I see a "El" and a double zero at each end.

Curiosity and confusion at the strange device that does nothing is replaced once more by the pain, shocking me to my very core.

It's too much for me.

The delirium of too much pain, the slight fall of pain after the initial contact, and the fact that I made a pun to myself…

I burst out in hysterical laughter.

* * *

 ****Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.****


	16. Chapter 16

"It's on! It turned on!" yells Tucker, pulling the rest of us out of our light conversation. Batman nods to us, signaling us to go immediately.

We rush to M'gann's ship. She barely waits for us to sit down before starting it up. As we head towards the coordinates in Gracetown, Wyoming, Tucker and Jazz sending us the information as they get it.

We're not wasting a second of time.

It's a secret facility. Creates its own electricity. Jazz speculates windmills, because the electricity originates outside the building. The land is technically owned by an environmental company focusing on clean energy.

Tucker can't hack the systems because they have their own network and cell tower, so he focuses on the people. He starts by listing everyone in the nearby town, then narrowing it down by age (nobody under eighteen or over eighty) and occupation.

 _Ever heard of Mai's Natural Remedies?_ he asks over the mind link, almost rhetorically, after about an hour of searching.

 _Uh-uh_ , I respond.

 _They've got quite the business, if they need twelve employees._

 _Twelve? That's not really impressive,_ Wally interjects.

 _They've all got families._

 _So?_ Superboy, this time.

 _SO, what would nine men and three women, all with a family and degrees in biology, chemistry, physiology, etcetera-_ all _be working for the same store?_

 _The ones with families have lives outside of the facility, the others stay in,_ Jazz supplies. _Consistent with the other places. Still, twelve seems small. Could mean Danny's the only thing being kept there and they don't need as much staff. Could also mean there are hundreds of meat heads specifically chosen because they didn't have something to draw them out._

"What's the plan, Kaldur?" I ask. "Jump in, guns a blazing, consistent with the other places?"

"No. They may be frightened and lock down the place, securing Phantom somewhere harder to find. You and M'gann will infiltrate first. You two are the best at stealth, and will need to put the cameras on a loop and warn us of any patrols. Wally and Artemis will follow after you, searching where you gave the all clear. Zatanna, Superboy and I will make sure there is a way out and run interference if need be."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

We continue fine-tuning the details, reviewing tactics that we've learned work best with these guys (outsmarting them. Go figure.), where we should search and how careful we should be.

 _Are you guys talking without us? So rude._

I smirk at Tucker's tone.

 _Just reviewing our game plan,_ I reply. _Which is good, because we're here. Well, I mean, in four miles._

I can hear Jazz's and Artemis's eye roll. Sigh. Everyone hates the messenger.

But wow, that was actually quite fast. Only a couple hours.

Following the tracking signal, we land a mile or so away to camouflage the bioship and get into our stealth modes. Kid bumps his stealth on and off several times before settling for the gray and black version (as per usual). Aqualad, M'gann and Artemis switch into their darker uniforms much more quickly.

The sun had gone down only a half hour ago, so the sky is still light, but darkening. We cautiously approach the blip on the tracker, M'gann and I taking the lead. After all, we are the entry team.

Jazz was right; windmills. Problem is, that's the only thing out here. Windmills. And grass. According to my screen, M'gann and I are directly above the dot, but there's nothing here. I dig a heel into the ground, but it's only dirt.

 _It's probably underground,_ M'gann suggests over the mindlink.

 _Yeah, but where?_ I begin walking in circles, trying to detect any change of material.

 _Robin, try a windmill,_ supplies Jazz _. One of the middle ones._

I point to the sky, and M'gann instantly flies up. She flies towards the middle, and I run underneath her, keeping pace.

The windmill M'gann chooses is like all the others. I attach a data router to the box placed at the base, quickly hacking inside. Nothing special. Just coding for harvesting energy. _This isn't it._

 _It's got to be difficult for employees to know which one, too,_ Tucker rationalizes. _There's got to be a marker or something on one._

 _Which one for what?_ I ask. I'm ignored.

 _Understood, Aparato. Kid, check the windmills,_ Kaldur orders. Then he addresses me. _They could be elevators, Robin._

Oh. Yeah, I guess.

Wally mumbles something about the passageway probably not even being a windmill before a blur starts going between windmills. He stops at one not too far from where M'gann and I are. _Found it._

The team converges on the point, where Wally is leaning against the pole, snacking on one of his power bars. I notice the GIW symbol: bold letters, white with a black outline. Above it, about four feet off the ground, there's a black pad. I stick another data router onto it and open the code. We don't worry about cameras. GIW are cocky, they only have cameras inside, and even then there are barely any.

 _Jackpot_ , I relay to the team, looking at the coding. _Aaaand... We're in._

The windmill slides open, revealing a small elevator. I guess I have to admit, they _are_ genius for making it a one-in-at-a-time. Luckily, it's built for adults.

 _I can stay here and renew the hack. We can try going two at a time_.

 _Agreed_. With that, he sends Wally and M'gann down first; Wally for his speed and M'gann for her mind link, since I'm occupied. Wally looks immensely uncomfortable with having to squeeze in with M'gann, and Artemis looks a little pleased. Six months ago he'd have been dying for an opportunity like this.

 _Miss Martian,_ Kaldur calls after a long moment of silence.

 _Yeah, yeah, I'm here. Sorry. Yes, the place is clear... For now. Kid and I ducked in a hallway. I'll tell you when it's safe._

Kaldur and Superboy go next, a little uncomfortably because of their enormous muscles. I send them down. They wait for a while until M'gann gives them the all clear and they exit the elevator.

Artemis and Zatanna get in next. "Are you sure you don't want to squeeze in here with us?" Zatanna asks.

"I'm fine going alone," I reply. "Besides, it seems tight as it is."

 _Robin, you better not be getting in a super tight elevator with my girlfriend_ , Wally accuses with perfect timing. Tucker gives a little mind laugh. He and Jazz are quietly following our progress.

 _No, but I am_ , Zatanna mocks over the mind link, her tone sultry.

She and Artemis giggle as I send them down. M'gann repeats the all clear for them, too, and the elevator comes back for me. I type the code in and just barely launch inside as the doors close.

It lurches down at a terrifying speed.

 _Move!_ Shouts Kaldur just as I'm slowing down. _Split up!_

 _What?_ I ask. Nobody answers as the elevator stops, and I stand there awkwardly for a while. _What happened?_ I ask again.

 _Some people came in,_ Artemis supplies. _Armed, too. They've spotted us and there's some kind of silent alarm going on._

 _We've split up,_ continues Zatanna.

 _Luckily, they think we're it. We'll try to keep them off your trail, Robin. Find Phantom,_ Kaldur orders. I accept the orders before pressing the open button for the doors.

No one. There's a reception desk and a couple doors, but it's deserted. Should I sign in? I wonder outside the mind link, quickly scanning the area for helpful items.

I sit down at the desk, falling back into the very comfortable chair.

 _Behind you, Zatanna!_ Shouts Superboy.

I hum a bit, lazily logging onto the computer.

 _I need more arrows!_

 _I'll get them, babe!_

Where is the most secure prisoner? Hm. La-dee-da... Only one? Strange. Sub-level 3, room 32. Project DP, 4607. Danny Phantom. Only four levels? This is a small little facility.

 _They have a psychic! Urgh! ZZZZ...ZZZ..._

 _Going through a tunnel?_ I snipe.

 _Rob- ZZZZZZZZZ for ZZZZZZZ t_

I hear snippets of everyone's thoughts, even those from Jazz and Tucker. Suddenly it all goes quiet.

 _Guys?_ I ask timidly.

 _I need my power. Shutting down the mind link temporarily._

Then it's off for good.

"Hm. Guess I'm getting DP by myself." I wander towards the elevator and step inside. "Alright. Sub-level 3."

* * *

 **HAHA YESSSSS**

 **Finally.**

 ****Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.****


	17. Chapter 17

My Amo freaks out very suddenly. Agitated, flitting around the room, before it suddenly disappears in a flash of light.

Literally. A light flashes. And Amo is gone. The light fades out before flashing again. I don't know if it is the spots dancing in my eyes or if Amo's really gone, but I can't see it. I try to rub my eyes before remembering they're bound.

The light flashes one more time before a wail accompanies it, so loud my ears ring. The alarm wails when the light dies down, so there's always an overload of the senses. I wonder briefly if this is the PTSD dream of a Vietnam veteran.

Suddenly, the door swings open. In the midst of the chaos I don't notice at first. Then the light dies for a moment and I see the silhouette. It's a boy... and... is that a cape? What's the triangle behind him?

He comes closer, and I hear a soft, "Oh, no, oh, no..."

Help or harm? Friend or foe?

Dang. I'm out of alliterations. And I sound cheesy.

The light flashes, again. My eyes spot out again. The wail floods me after.

"W... D... lass... ?" says the boy. My ears are still ringing. The boy grimaces and withdraws something, but the light flashes again. When my eyes clear, my vision is darkened. The noise comes again, then the light, but it's not nearly as bad. Sunglasses?

"Is that better?" the boy asks when the light comes and the sound leaves. I hear him this time, and drop my head in a nod. "Great, let's get you out of here..."

He withdraws something else from the belt on his waist that I can now semi-see, raising it to my first arm. He fiddles with it, and the cuff releases my hand. It falls beside me, but I can't move it yet from lack of circulation and because I think something in my arm is broken.

He makes quicker work with the other cuffs. He says something.

I shake my head. His head tilts up to the alarm blaring and frowns. Then, almost as if just barely remembering, he pulls out another thing. He holds it out.

Hand shaking from lack of blood (from hanging above my head so long), I reach out before crying out. My right arm is broken, but my left hand is _shattered_. The boy doesn't hesitate, just reaches up to the side of my face and pushes two squishy things in my ears. The alarm is muffled greatly. Gently, the boy puts a hand under my left upper arm, urging me to stand up. When I'm unsteady, his other hand comes up to help support my other side.

So quick I barely see him, he goes under my left arm, bracing me with his right. Slowly, we hobble out of the cell.

"I know you prob..." His voice is overshadowed for a moment and he waits for the alarm to die down. "Probably don't trust me, but I'm with Jazz and Tucker. We're going to get you out of here."

"Don't care," I rasp. "Just out." I don't know how much he heard, but he keeps moving and that's good enough for me. I'm surprised at the balance of this guy. He's not too much shorter than me, but I'm probably heavy and I'm _not_ helping him walk.

We round a corner. Down the hall there stands four guards. The boy jerks back, trying to get back around the corner, but they spot us. He leans me against the wall and runs back around the corner. I can't hear much more than a couple blasts.

I clench and unclench my right hand. It's starting to get feeling back, but since my upper arm is broken, I can't feel much beyond the elbow. I have the overwhelming urge to go to the aid of the boy, and I feel a surge of willpower. My legs stop shaking from exertion and I can stand on my own.

I only take two steps before the boy runs back around the corner. He slips under my arm again, but this time I walk on my own, only using him as a little support. I notice the guards are either unconscious or trapped as we hobble by them.

The boy knows where he is going; we take sharp and expected turns.

We enter a plush room, with a couple nice couches, a receptionist desk. And at least a couple dozen armed men. The boy shoves me sideways, out of the doorway. He takes a sharp blast that throws him back. He doesn't seem too hurt, though, as he bounces off the wall and onto his feet. He reminds me of... something.

Someone else darts around the corner at inhuman speeds, pushing the boy away again just before a wide ray of ectoplasmic rays hit the wall behind where he was. The blur stops near me, a girl in his arms with the longest hair I've ever seen. They both wear gray, and masks.

The blur has bright red hair and green eyes, with a super cheesy smile, goggles, and a full body jumpsuit with a lightning bolt on the chest.

The girl has blonde hair in a ponytail, a mask, a bow in one hand and a quiver on her back. Her midriff is exposed, followed by a utility belt, combat pants and boots.

That reminds me of something too. But it's too vague.

"You found him!" chirps the blur-boy happily. "Great. Let's get him out of here and then we can extract the rest of our team." He talks fast enough that it's between alarms, his voice almost as fast as his feet. I've decided the earplugs only block out the loudest of sounds, which doesn't make sense but I'll figure it out later.

The girl pulls an arrow from her quiver and nocks it in her bow. A bow and arrow... That's familiar too. What is this?

She drops into a roll, landing upright for only enough time to shoot her arrow into the room. The blur-boy blurs again, into the room, and the girl and other boy follows. Realizing I'm still against the wall I push off, trying to get to the room to... help them, I guess.

A sudden noise behind me causes me to turn, and I whirl around. Another girl and boy. Great. I identify them as friends because they're dressed equally weird to their friends. One is dark skinned and the other has black hair.

So familiar, so familiar, so familiar.

I nod towards the door as they run and the girl goes ahead and the boy stops in front of me. He talks, but it's during the alarm and it's lost on me. I shake my head. "-BIN!" he shouts. "Alarms!"

Only a few seconds later the noise and flashing cuts out. The relief is almost tangible, from both me and the boy in front of me. "I am Aqualad," he introduces. "We're going to get you out of here. How badly are you hurt?"

"Out of ten?" I rasp, almost rhetorically. "Pretty bad."

Aqualad smirks with a grimace, if that's even possible. Shouts continue from inside. "Stay here, and call for help if you need it." I nod and he runs in towards the fight.

I take out the earplugs by rubbing my ears on my shoulders until they fall, and my hearing is suddenly flooded. I can hear the strange teens talking with one another, snippets of orders and banter. Something about a Miss Martian and Superboy being held up by a psychic...

Psychic? We don't have any...

Suddenly, I remember. The psychic. She... she messed with something in my head. It's what started my degradation... She made me forget I'd seen her... What... What was her name...

It doesn't matter. She's dangerous. These people don't need my help, but these Miss Martian and Superboy people probably do. A small sliver of power leaks out of my chest and into my veins, enough to fly. I don't wait to rediscover my power of flying, I just jolt in the direction I know they are.

The White Room.

Of course, everything here is white. But the white room is the room where the pain happens, where it isn't white anymore.

I don't have time for fear of this place. When I reach it, I just kick it open. There are no locks. Nobody inside is physically able to escape.

There she is. The psychic. Black hair in a pixie cut, blood red eyes, young. She and another girl stand in a psychic battle, eyes locked and flooded with power. Another boy, Superboy, is slammed against the wall, fighting to be set free.

He and I lock eyes. One glance to the girl. Help her first, his eyes say.

I summon the single thread of power able to escape the confines of the neck brace. Into my hand. Channel it, pool it... And my right hand glows green. Somehow get my arm to move up despite the break, with some help from my left arm.

Aim. Fire. The kick back throws me a little, my arm screaming in protest, but the blast hits its mark. The pixie is thrown forward, her concentration snapping. Superboy is released and Miss Martian's eyes glow once more in victory as pixie falls unconscious.

A flash of memory lights behind my eyelids, a machine, octagon. Swirling green. A burning sense of curiosity...

Miss Martian and Superboy-if those are their names- make their way over to me. "Thank-"

She doesn't finish her sentence. Superboy gives a noise of warning just as a fire flies into my back and throws me rather violently into unconsciousness.

* * *

 ****Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.****


	18. Chapter 18

"Where's Phantom?" asks Kaldur sternly.

"What do you mean? He's right..." Too compliment the cliche comment, I point to where I'd seen him last, where he of course isn't right now. "Ugh, never mind."

 _Missing something?_ M'gann's voice sounds in all our heads. We turn to see her floating around the corner. Superboy follows at a fast walk, holding the unconscious form of the long lost Danny Phantom.

"Is he okay?" I ask, going to check him over.

Superboy breezes past me towards the elevator, carefully stepping over unconscious forms. "He was shot from behind when he was helping Miss Martian."

"What happened? Robin, the elevator."

I follow Kaldur's order as M'gann relays the story.

"There was a psychic. She caught me and Superboy off guard. I was pulled into a psychic battle where Superboy couldn't follow. We were equally matched. Then her concentration was lost and I could render her unconscious. When I returned to my own body, Phantom was on the ground but Superboy took down the one who shot him."

"Shot in the back," Superboy growls. "With something strong, too. He's got a bad burn. No heartbeat, either, but he didn't have one in the first place and is still breathing."

"No heartbeat..." Kid trails off.

"Aparato did say he was a ghost. Who's first?" I open the elevator with one more line of code. "Perhaps the hurt one?"

Superboy lets out a grunt of annoyance and shoves himself in the elevator, carefully folding Phantom in with him. As soon as Superboy is out I send up Zatanna and M'gann.

"Get him immediate medical attention," Kaldur commands.

"And I think he's sensitive to both light and sound. Maybe touch, too," I inform as the elevator shuts. As soon as they're gone I realize I hadn't told them to tell Jazz and Tucker. Vision and Aparato have no idea what happened. Unfortunately, the worsening of Phantom's health distracted me from that.

They probably saw him in the cameras, though.

I send Kaldur and Wally next. The leader and the fastest. I wish I'd gone up first, because I have the most medical training, but I'm the only one this well versed in hacking. Geez, I wish Tucker was ready for field work.

"You found him, right?" Artemis asks. A guard had woken up and tries to shoot her, but she roundhouse kicks him in the head and he goes back down.

"Yeah." My voice sounds a little distant, like it always does when I'm deep in thought.

"And?"

"Not good." I shake my head. "The amount of security on him was ridiculous, and his injuries are extensive. They've never given him time to heal, so he has half-closed gashes all over. And, er, there was this villian in Gotham once. Electrocuted people as a kind of shock therapy."

The elevator opens and Artemis and I squeeze in there. We aren't pushed up against each other, but we're too close. I give a little uncomfortable shrug and she smirks a bit. "He's been electrocuted?"

I nod. "Severely. The two impact points are on the head, I think. His hair is really long. But that kind of electrocution is used to cure people of free will. The villian, he made it so they'd obey anything."

"Why didn't it work on him?"

"Who knows? He's a ghost. Maybe it's different."

"We have him now... But something tells me these guys aren't going to just let him go."

I shake my head. "They wouldn't put this much effort into something they weren't intent on keeping."

Artemis suddenly jerks. "The girl! Sam!"

It's one of those memories you remember like a light turning on. It's almost painful how fast I remembered we'd forgot her. Then, slower, I remember why. "There was only one prisoner..." I mutter. "When I looked it up, there was one cell, one prisoner's records. He was the only thing there."

"Then... Where's Sam?"

* * *

"Did you get him? Is he alright? Is he-"

"Jazz," Kaldur says, and she immediately shuts up, but her eyes are shining and begging for answers. "Stand aside, please."

She gives a startled look but takes several steps to the right. As soon as she's clear, Kaldur and I split to give Wally the chance to jerk forward with the gurney with Phantom on it. Jazz takes a couple running steps in the direction Wally ran, just to get a glimpse of him. "Was that him? Was that Danny?"

"Yes," I finally answer. "But he's hurt."

"Is that why Batman came over? And Black Canary? And Doctor Fate? Is he going to be okay?"

"Doctor Fate?" asks Superboy, coming with the rest of the team out of the bioship. "Why's he here?"

"I figured he's a ghost, so his physiology is probably resilient to things like morphine," I theorize. "Batman did as well. They're taking him into surgery, but I think he'll be okay..."

"He has a healing factor," Jazz deadpans. "And no heartbeat. Does Batman know that?"

I nod.

"What about Sam?" Tucker joins the conversation, just barely coming in.

I shake my head. "He was the only one there."

They both lapse into silence. Tucker breaks it by asking about Danny again similar to how Jazz did, and Kaldur fills him in. I start to wander off.

"Where you going?" Jazz asks.

"Showers," I reply. "He's going to be in surgery for a while."

"Wait, before you all leave, what happened with the mind link and cameras?" asks Jazz.

M'gann answers. "Psychic field blocked you guys off when I got down there, but I didn't really notice until the link shut down for everyone that you'd been excluded. I bet there was an electric shield, too."

Jazz nods. "Should I get him any clothes or anything?" It takes me a moment to realize she's asking about Danny.

"Probably. The stuff he's wearing is looking a little worse for wear." More like shreds. I couldn't even tell what it had been before.

"Okay." She walks away moderately, somehow both dragging her feet and speed walking. Tucker watches her leave.

"So we've got a broken Danny and no Sam?" he deadpans.

The team files past him, giving him some assurances. I stop in front of him. "He'll get better."

"I know. But what if Sam is..." He doesn't finish.

"Don't do that. She could be anywhere."

He waves me off.

"Because we're just that lucky. Danny was tortured and Sam is dead!" He gives a broken laugh that doesn't sound like a laugh at all.

"Come on, dude," I say softly. "Let's go wait."

* * *

 **Batman**

The boy doesn't seem to realize we're there. Robin hadn't been exaggerating when he said this boy was physically destroyed, and fixing him up hadn't been painless. We gave him some anesthesia, but we weren't sure if it had any effect.

He grimaced in pain when I took out the unsafe stitches and restitched them back up. He writhed when we treated his burns, and when we reset his broken arm, hand and ribs. But he didn't notice anymore than that.

It took hours.

After I was sure he was stable, I was able to go to work on disabling the collar around his neck. It looked distinctly like an inhibitor collar, but was green instead of blue or white. The code was solid, and I was still working on it when Superman joined us in the room.

"How is he doing?" None of us answer. Superman finds out on his own. He growls out the next words, "Who would do this to a _child_?"

Doctor Fate answers a different question, as he'd been using his magic to analyze the damage done to the boy's mind. "His mind is ruined."

"What do you mean?" I demand, continuing to decode the collar.

Superman growls and crunches the collar between two fingers. It sparks and grows dark. I give him a look. "What. You were taking too long." Unapologetic, he pulls the collar from both sides. Underneath shows deep electrical burns. Superman drops the collar and turns to Doctor Fate, who continues.

"I sense deep memory damage. His will is unlike anything I've seen from a human, but it appears that he's traded his memories to keep his sanity."

"It that even a possible trade?" asks Black Canary.

"Sometimes. Holding onto sanity through pain makes everything else fade away." Doctor Fate has no expression, but he almost looks pitiful. "I don't know if he'll remember anything."

"So he won't know his friends out there?" whispers Black Canary, horrified.

"The damage is so great, I don't think he'll even know his own name."

* * *

 ****Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.****


	19. Chapter 19

Something's soft. Something's breathing. It's not dark, but not bright either.

Slowly, I open my eyes. First thing I see is something not white. Not green, not red, not black. I blink several times, trying to place the color. It reminds me of… The sky! When I'd seen it briefly, it had been black, but there was a slim shot of this color… It was… um. Not black. Blue!

Pleased at my placement of the color, I reach for it, to see if I can move. My hand comes into view, and I notice there's no long a shredded remain of a glove on it. It also has some kind of needle in, covered in tape and leading to a tube. The liquid inside is clear, and it doesn't appear to be burning me inside, so I don't pull it out. Yet.

I move my other hand, with a lot less success. It kind of flops into view, covered in stiff white material. I poke it with my other hand. No pain. There's no movement in the wrapped hand, though.

I notice the same material around my upper arm with the hand that can move. My eyes roam up, and I see a person sitting on a chair. A boy. Dark skin, like… What was his name, Waterlad. No, it started with an A. Agua… Aqualad. Aqualad. Like him. But it's not him. He's wearing a hat, glasses. T-shirt and jeans. He's fast asleep.

There's another boy, too, awake. He reminds me of- no he _is_ \- the boy who saved me from the lab. I recognize this cape, which is dangling onto the floor, as he is laying on the armrests, tapping away at a cell phone. His hair is black and he wears a mask over his eyes. He has a suit with a red top and black pants and some heavy duty boots. Then there's his belt. It's got everything in there.

Keeping my gaze on him, I watch how he flicks through his phone as if nothing keeps his interest, grinning sometimes and frowning in frustration at other times. I don't trust my voice, so I wait for him to notice me.

"URGH," he groans, flipping his body so he's sitting upright. He clenches his mouth and looks over to the boy with a grimace.

Then he glances at me and gives a start. His phone disappears into his belt and he gives a nervous grin. "Hey. How long have you been up?"

I shrug.

"Do you need anything?"

"Water?" My voice sounds horrible. Lack of use, maybe, too much screaming. Who knows? The boy nods and shouts "you got it!" before launching off the chair and running over to a sink. He fills a cup halfway and darts back over to me, holding it out proudly.

"Do you need help?" he asks when he sees the indecision on my face.

"No," I snap. I don't need help drinking water. Psh. My hand shakes as I raise it, but I grab the cup and hold it on my own. The boy gives me a proud look when I successfully drink it without spilling any.

"Anymore?"

"Yes." He beams and runs to get me another glass. He's very peppy, I decide. Like a cheerleader. "Thanks," I say when he hands me the glass again. Drinking water feels amazing, and he was considerate enough to make it cold.

"You probably want to talk to Tucker, huh?" he asks, setting the glass down beside me. "And Jazz! I can go get her for you!"

"Um, who?" Immediately, I know it's the wrong thing to say. The boy freezes up. "I mean, yes. I would like to talk to them," I correct hurriedly.

"Do you know who they are?" he asks in a hushed voice. Slowly, a shake my head. "Nothing? Geez, Batman told me your mind might be messed up but he didn't say _this_ much… He and the others were pulled away on a League-wide mission, and Tucker was asleep and Jazz was gone, so they didn't hear about it…"

"What your name?" I ask, if just to change the topic.

"Robin." He's still distracted. "What's yours?" With that question he focuses in on my face, his strange mask staring me right in the face.

I don't want to answer "I don't know" again, but I don't, so I search for a sound. Robin becomes increasingly more worried the longer it takes me. "F- No. D- Gh- Alright. Fine. I don't know. Do you?"

He nods. He opens his mouth to reply, but the other boy, who was sleeping, jerks up and shouts it for him. "DANNY!" he screams. It's a little grating for my ears, but I don't say anything. The guy rushes forward, eyes shining.

"Danny?" I repeat. Yes, that's my name. Sounds like it. It fits. Danny. Not Daniel, though. "Yes, Danny works."

The guy blinks several times. Then he turns to Robin, mouth open in question. Robin looks down at the ground as he answers, "Batman said his mind was all messed up. His memories are gone."

An awkward silence descends. "Er… So Danny. What's my last name?"

"Phantom," mutters the guy. "Danny Phantom."

"I'm curious," announces Robin, looking up again. "When you tried guessing your name, you almost said Danny or Phantom. But you almost made a "Gh" sound. What was that?"

I shrug, hopeless.

"GhostBoy," the guy answers for me. "His video game name."

Video games… A spider, techno-spider… My head suddenly pounds, and I give a small grimace. Robin notices. "You okay?" I nod, but there's another pain. "It's okay to not be. You went through a lot, there's bound to be some relapses."

"Headache," I say in response. He nods, as if expecting it.

"Happens with electrocution," he chats as he goes over to a line of drawers and opens one. I can feel the cold from here and it feels amazing. "Electrical synapses are interrupted and rerouted, or something. Usually we'd give you pain killers, but they don't really work on you, so here's an ice pack."

He comes back over and hands me a turquoise blue pack of frozen gel. I squeeze it in my hand, wondering how it stays squishy when it's cold. When another pain hits the back of my head, I try to get the pack to my head.

I have a cast. Getting the ice pack to my head doesn't work.

The other guy, with the weird hat, he takes it from me and places it behind my head. I give a thanks and he nods, stiffly. They keep staring at me.

"So, um… What's your name?" I ask the unidentified boy.

He closes his eyes as if it's painful to look at me, then he mutters, "Tucker. Foley."

"Tucker…" I repeat. "Um, nice to re-meet you. Sorry I don't remember. I do remember forgetting, though. I made a choice. Maybe the memories will come back."

"Yeah," he says, but he doesn't sound convinced. "Maybe."

Robin looks between us with a frown. "Even if they don't on their own, we have a bunch of psychics." I give him a panicked look, and he quickly corrects himself. "You don't have to use them, or trust them. It's good if you want to wait for them to come back. There are whole bunches of ways to help an amnesiac. Tucker, why don't you tell Danny a little bit about himself?"

I turn my attention back to Tucker. My headache is being tamed by the cold, but it still aches at the back of my head. Yet I can't bring myself to send away this Tucker guy. He looks so heartbroken that I don't recognize him. It's not like I can help it! But it can't hurt to listen, I guess. Maybe he'll tell me about my other self. "Yeah, what was I like?"

Tucker gives a small smile before he launches into a long winded story. "Well, we were with you when you died. You're a ghost, you know. Electrocuted to death, sorry 'bout that. Sam and I were so freaked out when you stumbled out with an entirely new look. Sam, by the way, she's our other friend. We're a trio, us and her. She's a goth, black hair, dark makeup. She's Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian, whatever the heck that means-"

I don't know why I say it. "Nothing with a face on it."

Tucker's reaction is instantaneous and _loud_. "YOU REMEMBER!" he shrieks. My headache pounds again, and I growl, my hand going to my head. Robin looks worryingly at him.

"That was a little loud."

"I don't remember," I insist. "I just know what Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian means, sheesh."

"Oh." He deflates. "Do you want me to go on?"

"No. Thank you." I want to sleep.

Robin guesses that. "Let's let him rest," he prompts Tucker. "He's gone through a lot. He probably didn't want to talk to people in the first place."

Tucker nods, and they leave, Robin turning the light off as he passes through.

* * *

 ****Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.****


	20. Chapter 20

"Vision, B-08," announces the Zeta Beam. I grimace. Jazz had not been happy when she found out that not only was Danny completely mind wiped, but he also had asked for solitude before she got to see him.

Wally and I had been sparring, but were now exchanging "oh crap" glances. Jazz narrows her eyes as she walks in on the scene.

"Calm down. I'm not going to snap," she snaps. Wally and I give her sheepish looks, and in response she waves the bag in her hand. "Do you guys want donuts? I stopped by-"

Wally is a blur as he takes the treats from her and starts shoving the first donut in her mouth.

"Give it back!" she cries. "They're not all for you, Wally!"

"Who zen," he says around a mouthful.

She strides over and yanks it from him. "Well, everyone. Including Danny. Do you think he'd like one?"

I shrug. "He's been resting for a while, maybe a couple hours. We can see if he's awake." She nods like there's nothing she'd rather do.

I lead her toward the medbay, Wally following behind in probable hopes of another donut. Tucker, who'd probably heard Jazz's arrival, jogs up on us from behind as I open the door.

Danny is awake, staring at his hand like he's trying to figure it out. I call his name and he focuses on me.

"Hungry?" I ask.

A brief look of confusion crosses over his face before he gives a slow nod. I open the door wider, letting him see I come with company. He doesn't look happy about it, but I can't stop Jazz from rushing inside and Wally and Tucker following. Danny looks panicked, but the three don't notice, or don't care.

Well, I guess Wally does, but he's really more concerned about getting another donut. Jazz holds out the bag with apprehension, and Danny looks at it like he doesn't know what to do with it. Jazz doesn't want to invade his space, but Danny doesn't know what to make of it.

After a tense moment of silence, Wally sighs, "Dude, just take it."

Defense flashes in Danny's eyes. "My hand is broken," he grits out. "And my other arm doesn't move at the shoulder."

Wally blinks. "OH, sorry." But he still keeps his eyes on the bag.

I roll my eyes. Jazz pulls back the bag. Danny moves from her to Wally, a spark of recognition but the same amount of confusion.

"This is Kid Flash," I supply, guessing that he's trying to figure out the name. "And this is Jazz. You already know Tucker."

He nods. "Hi."

"Do you want one?" Jazz asks, but when Danny gives her a confused look she shrinks back again.

Ugh. I just have to do everything. I snatch a paper towel from the dispenser by the sink and take the bag from Jazz. Eating donuts should not be this difficult.

Not knowing if Danny is a germaphobe or something like that, I take out a chocolate coated donut with the paper towel and wave it at him. He nods, and I place it on his lap. Then I take one, hand the bag back and fall back on one of the chairs.

Incredibly awkwardly, Jazz takes one, Tucker takes one, and Wally takes the bag. Wally and I eat, but Jazz and Tucker just stand uncomfortably, and Danny looks cornered. I exchange a look with Wally. They're freaking him out.

"Jazz," I prompt. "Why don't you finish telling us about that new theory with the- um…" Crap. I wasn't listening when she was talking about it.

"Melatonin treatment for Parkinson's disease," supplies Wally before taking out another pastry. Jazz locks eyes with me and I tilt my head to the seat and then look at Danny. Luckily, she caught on to that and sits down.

Tucker does, too.

"Um… People who suffer from Parkinson's have problems sleeping. It's not directly correlated to their apathy and memory loss, but without achieving the REM sleep stage irritability increases and-"

Wally and I make a valiant effort to keep her talking instead of staring at Danny. Without all eyes on him, he starts tearing up the donut on his lap between his right hand's fingers, his left hand still bandaged tightly.

I watch this behavior, wondering if he's going to eat it. Finally, giving a cautious glance to all of us (going mostly unnoticed by the others) I puts a single chocolatey finger in his mouth.

He grimaces, withdrawing. "Do you not like them?" I ask, and immediately regret it. In an instant everyone's attention is on him.

"It's sweet," he says.

"Too sweet?" Jazz asks, rushed. I can see her going over every aspect in her head about everything. Should I have gotten him something more bland? Is he experiencing sensory overload? Etcetera, etcetera…

"I don't know," he mutters, uncomfortable. He puts a piece in his mouth, like he has to, staring at the blanket.

"You don't have to eat it," Wally acknowledged. Suddenly, it makes sense to me. He thinks he does have to eat it, or he doesn't eat anything. And _of course_ it would be too sweet; it's not like they fed him candy where he was.

Jazz looks to me for help.

"What would like instead?" I ask. "Bread, cereal, fruit or vegetables? I think we have spaghetti leftover from a couple days ago."

He still feels uncomfortable with all the looks, I can tell. He won't meet anyone's eyes. He mutters "I don't know" again.

"Here." I toss the napkin with his uneaten food away (earning a resentful look from Wally, who now had an empty bag), and gesture to everyone. "We'll go grab you something else."

"Can you?" he asks almost inaudibly. I notice the plead for the exclusion of the other three hidden in his two words.

"Sure." Jazz looks crestfallen. I push the entire group out, shutting off the light on my way out.

"He hates us," Tucker sulks.

"No, he's freaked out," I insist. "Jazz, you practically breathe psychology. He's traumatized. Distance yourself from him, think of him as someone you don't know. What would you recommend for him?"

"Quiet and minimal interaction," she says softly. "But interaction. He'll only distance himself from reality if he doesn't have someone to keep him there. Likely he's already trying to forget what happened, but doing that will detach him from the world emotionally."

"Exactly."

"You know that means you have to stay with him, now."

"What?"

"He's attached himself to you. Obviously. You were the one who rescued him, the first one there when he woke up, and the one who took us all away, who-I'll admit- were causing him anxiety. When you're there he's anchored to reality and not drifting off into his own world."

"Okay," I allow. "I'd be happy to stay with him. But only if you guys come too. Maybe not together, maybe not all the time. I can't always be there, and if you guys interact with him enough he might allow you guys." They nod. "Just… Don't. Don't try to find the Danny that was. It's stressing him out."

"Yeah," Jazz admits, looking down. "I know. The Amnesiac's Burden. Read all about it."

"Why don't you guys go home. Maybe get some things for him? Not memory books or anything like that. But clothing, maybe some things he can do. He's bound to get bored fast."

They look at each other and then nod to me, walking off.

"Wow. That was authoritative." Wally smirks at me.

I grin and start walking towards the living rooms. "Shut up."

"No, I'm serious." He jogs to catch up with me. "That was sexy. 'Stop pressuring him. Be the heroes you truly are.'"

"I didn't _remotely_ say that!"

"I think you did," he teases. "Instead of being Boring Old Robin, you were Hot Leader Robin."

Just as he was saying this, we entered the living rooms, where Artemis and Superboy are watching a kickboxing match and arguing, Megan making some sort of dinner.

"Artemis!" I scream. She glances at me, but seeing as I'm not dying, returns to the show. "WALLY IS HITTING ON ME!"

I have everyone's attention, now.

Megan starts giggling behind her hands as Wally punches me in the chest.

"Wait, what?" Conner asks.

"Yeah, we were just walking in the hall and he said, 'You're sexy when you talk like that. Makes me all hot.'"

Wally goes red, some embarrassment and some pure rage. Everyone else, upon seeing his reaction, starts laughing the kind of laughter where it's almost painful and impossible to stop. Wally, of course, decides to try and kill me.

"I didn't say that at all!" he cries, tackling me to the ground. I wiggle out of his grip and leap over the counter, flipping off the couch and in front of Artemis.

"I think you have some competition," I inform Artemis. Wally growls in rage and takes me _down_. Artemis can't stop laughing, only laughing harder when Wally and I wrestle.

"Stop, stop!" Megan cries. "My sides, ow!" She collapses in giggles again.

Wally is trying to kill me, and I'm laughing a bit too hard to escape. He punches my jaw, but that only makes me laugh harder, trying to wriggle out from underneath him.

"Wally," Artemis pleads, but not for my sake. "You're going to give me the hiccups!"

He punches me one more time. "If I didn't know she's the most dangerous of anybody we've ever faced when she has the hiccups, I'd continue killing you." His voice is low and dangerous, but I see the smallest spark of amusement and know he's just kidding too.

Then he gets off of me and plops down beside Artemis, stealing the forgotten popcorn. "Oh!" I jump up, completely unharmed. "Before I forget, can I take some food to our guest? Something mild?"

"Why not take some?" Artemis mutters. "You take people's boyfriends."

Wally snickers and pecks her cheek. She looks stoically ahead until Wally looks down at his popcorn before smiling. I roll my eyes.

Megan rummages through the fridge before pulling out a ziplock bag with white stuff in it. "What's that?"

"Failed homemade ice cream," she responds, taking out a bowl and scraping the stuff into it.

"Too sweet," I inform her. "'Sides. Failed?"

"It's failed because I forgot the sugar." She puts a spoon on the top and pushes it over to me, placing her hands on her hips. "It's cold, it doesn't have much taste, and it's calorie filled."

"Wow. That's actually perfect." She smiles and nods. "Thanks."

"Welcome." She goes back to chopping her onions. When she notices I'm still sitting there, she sighs. "Do you want something too? Maybe taffy? I know you're having a weird obsession with that lately."

I give her the biggest smile I can muster. "That would be asterous."

 **Wow, wow, wow! Only 24 hours since I've posted this story and I have ONE THOUSAND READS! You guys are SO AMAZING!**

 **(Although my mom got super mad when I danced around the kitchen...)**

 **Anyway, sorry I didn't spread it out more! But I just finished this chapter-hot off the press. I'll get the next to you guys as soon as I get it done.**

 **Also... I got a few reviews and they're so amazing! Thank you guys so much!**

 ***Man, I wish Danny Phantom and Young Justice were mine, but they're not. They go to their respective creators.***


	21. Chapter 21

Amo followed me.

Scared me half to death.

Something about that comment sounds familiar and ironic, and not just because I'm dead…

But it sticks to the corner, hidden in the darkest part of this room. It's always a bit light; there are lights on all the different machines, the darkest being the corners. I try to get Amo to come closer, but stubbornly it sits in the corner, the only proof that it's even there two slight distortions of color.

"Amo-"

The door opens, the light turns on. And Amo is gone.

I blink where it last was, before turning to Robin, who comes over and hands me a bowl. It's white mush. It looks a lot like what I was given before.

"It's ice cream," he explains. "Apparently there's no sugar in it, so it shouldn't be too sweet. It's cold, too."

I'm shocked at how considerate it is. I pick up the spoon and mix it in the mush before lifting it to my mouth. He's right. Not too sweet. It doesn't have much flavor at all, actually, but the cold is wonderful, and I don't have to worry about it being too solid.

"Thank you."

"Sure." He sits down on what I'd come to think of as his chair, unwrapping something pink and chewing on it. He catches me looking. "Do you want any? It's kinda pure sugar." I shake my head.

I slowly eat the ice cream, worried it won't stay down. Robin pulls out his phone again and flips through it while chewing on several different colors of his sugar. It takes a moment, but I gradually get used to Robin being here and stop watching him.

My mind wanders to the people that were with Robin before, and I mull over their behavior towards me.

"Why are they so obsessed with me?" I ask finally, still looking at the ice cream.

Robin doesn't look up from his phone. "They knew you before."

"Before what?"

"Before you got taken. Before the facility place." He chews on another color, green this time. Where are they coming from? He just seems to have an endless supply!

"What was I like then?" I wonder out loud, putting another spoonful of ice cream in my mouth.

"Jazz and Tucker would be far more equipped to answer that, but, as you saw, they're a little aggressive with it." I nod, not looking at him. "So you forgot everything; there really is no pressure to remember. Amnesiacs usually take longer to remember when they feel they have a timeline."

"How long have I been gone?"

"Eight months, I think, or nine. They've been looking since you were gone, but this team only joined the search maybe four, five months ago."

"So you've heard stories?" I want to know who I was. But Jazz and Tucker… Every word they say is filled with pleading for me to remember.

"Oh, yeah." He gives a little laugh. "Wanna hear some?" I nod. "Alright. So one of my personal favorites is when you fought the Master Of ALL REALITY! Sorry, they always say it like that. But apparently there was this guy you fought before. He tried to kill you, but I mean, that's kind of all villains. So he kidnapped all these people, including Jazz's, Sam's and Tucker's parents. You had to collect these gems…"

I finish my ice cream as Robin tells me this elaborate tale of this weird circus master guy. Then he tells me about a fight with some guy named Plasmius (one of many, he says) and a weather ghost, and leads that into one with a ghost named Fright Night who's sword transports people to a dimension of their worst fears.

I don't know how to feel about who I was before. I sound constantly naive, clueless and selfish. But I'm also this brave hero who saves people, usually with a great deal of cunning. It's like… I'm trying desperately to be a teenage boy, who is naive, clueless and selfish, but knows better. I wonder if I'll be that person again.

"What about Sam?" I ask finally, when Robin pauses to eat again. "Why didn't she look for me?"

He pauses and grimaces. "Um, she went missing with you." I blink. That doesn't make any sense. I was never with anyone. She was never with me at all. "We haven't seen any trace of her."

"Is she dead?"

"We don't know."

For some reason, I feel a horrible regret open up inside me. What if she's dead? Would it be my fault? Who even is she? Robin senses my change in mood.

"Hey," he prods, careful. "If she's out there, we'll find her."

"Okay." But I don't sound convinced.

An awkward silence descends, and my thoughts begin to consume more and more of my attention. This Sam person, my captivity… They wind deeper and deeper down. Blood, fire, screaming. Electricity, pain. I can't move, they're yelling. Yelling…

"HEY!" shouts Robin in my face. With a snap I am back with him, disoriented. I shake the thoughts away.

"Sorry," I mutter.

"You can't do that," he scolds, angry. "You can't go off into that world. You aren't there any more. You need to stay here, in reality. Yeah, those memories aren't going to go away. But you can't let them take you. Do you understand me?"

Surprised at his reaction, I nod slowly.

"Say it, then."

"I'll, um…" I trail off.

Robin just waits, no prompts.

"I'll stay in reality…?"

"And?"

"I won't not stay in reality?"

He isn't amused. "You won't let…"

"Let the memories take me away from reality?"

He leans back, out of my face. "Yes."

"Okay."

The tense atmosphere disintegrates suddenly. "Hey, I have an idea!"

Wary, I ask what it is.

"Why don't we get you into a shower? You probably want to wash up. It's been a while, I think."

I give him a sheepish smile. "Yeah, okay. What about the casts?"

"We can wrap them in waterproof stuff. Can you stand?" He offers his hand. I set the bowl beside me on the bedside table and take the offered hand, letting him pull me up. With infinite carefulness he pulls out the needle accompanied with the IV from my arm.

I notice now that I'm wearing loose sweatpants and a T-shirt. I hadn't even noticed before.

Robin leads me over to one of the doors, which leads in to a line of showers separated by curtains. He pulls out a tube of black wrap that I hadn't noticed him grabbing.

"Shirt off," he commands. I give him a weird look. "Calm down, I'm not going to follow you in or anything. Even if Wally hits on me, I'm not gay. I am, however, going to wrap your bandages in this shrink wrap stuff."

I wrestle it off with my broken hand, mostly succeeding. The sleeve of it got caught on my right upper arm, and I can't grab it because my left hand is a freaking fist. Robin chuckles before grabbing it and tossing it behind him. He looks at me and back down at the stuff.

"You aren't going to freak out about this, are you?"

"I don't know. But I do know if it does freak me out and I accidentally kill you, I can use it to bury you." He looks taken aback. I shrug. "Waterproof."

He gives a loud laugh before yanking the thing open. I'm glad he gave me warning before, because it sounds a lot like the white coats opening bags of tools. Robin skillfully wraps the wrap around all the bandages on my torso, arm and hand, sticking it to my skin.

"Your head one won't get wrapped, though," he mentions. My unbandaged hand goes up to my head, where I just now feel the two bandages on either side of my forehead. Without thinking, I pull one off. "Wait! Wait. What?" He leans closer, inspecting where the bandage was. "It's almost all healed."

"Super healing," I brag. "Gotta love it."

He gives me an innocent smile before yanking off the other bandage, sending a sharp jab of pain through me.

"OW!"

"Yeah, you didn't scream when you did the other one," he sasses. Then he brushes my hair out of the way to look at the other side. "Same. Almost healed."

"Yay. Can I take a shower now?"

Robin chuckles. "Sure." He leans inside the stall up against the wall, where a support bar is bolted to the wall. "This is so you don't fall." I nod. He points to the three containers glued to the wall adjacent to the bar. "Shampoo, conditioner, soap." I nod again. Then he touches a black screen and it lights up. "Shower settings. I'd say pick the steam one, but you probably want it cold. I'll get you a towel." He disappears outside the curtain and comes back with one, throwing it over the top of the curtain. "And I'll just be outside. Any questions?" I shake my head. "Alright. Take your time."

He pulls the curtain shut behind him.

It takes a bit of finagling with the little touchscreen but I get it to its coldest setting and flip on the water. It feels amazing. So amazing, in fact, I'm in there for almost an hour. Fortunately, Robin doesn't say anything about it. I almost fall a few times, but I catch myself on the bar. Again, no comment from Robin.

It takes a lot of willpower to shut off the water. Staying here forever would be my dream come true, but standing so long was starting to hurt. My legs were weak from lack of use and my head was starting to pound from the water. Once the water is off, Robin talks again.

"Hey, some clothes were dropped off for you. Would you like to wear those?"

"Yes." I don't hear him for a second as I towel off and am about to call for him, but I hear him come back in.

I wrap the towel around my waist and push aside the curtain. Robin looks up from the pile of clothes in his hands.

"Wow, your hair is really white! Here, come choose."

He sets them down on a bench. He picks up a shirt that's white with a red oval and another that's blue with a logo in the center with a bunch of stars and **NASA** printed in the middle of it. But I spot something black at the bottom and yank it out, upending the whole pile.

Robin sighs. "Well that was unnecessary."

The material in my hand is rubbery but flexible. I'm confused with it and let it unfold. Robin picks up all the clothes I dropped, still muttering.

The suit is so familiar I want to scream. It's just out of reach… Urgh. It has a white collar and a strange logo of a D, open so it has the imprint of a P. The rest of it is black, long sleeved.

"That's your superhero suit," Robin tells me. "But I don't think you'll be able to fit it over your casts. Besides, it's probably not very comfortable."

"No, it's very comfortable," I insist. "But this isn't all of it."

Robin gives me a huge smile. "You're starting to remember a bit!" He ruffles through the pile and pulls out a pair of gloves. "The boots and belt are still in the bag Jazz gave me. Jazz and Tucker fixed it up while you were missing, when we had no leads. I guess they were hoping you'd come back and immediately be a hero again."

Looking at the suit gives me all kinds of fragmented feelings. This suit… I flew in this suit, fought in it, trained in it. This suit belongs to Phantom. All I have to do is get into it again, and I'll fly, and fight, and train again.

"I do," I say quietly. Then, a bit more forcefully. "I do! I don't remember smack about my other life. But whether I remember or not isn't important. I want to wear this again."

Robin gets a mischievous look on his… well, his mask. "That can be arranged."

* * *

 **You guys are so cool :). I'm loving the feedback on the reviews! You guys actually gave me a pretty good idea of how Danny's memories unveil... Which, to assuage your fears, won't be drawn out forever, promise.**

 **I haven't settled on a set posting schedule, but as you've probably already noticed, it doesn't take me too long.**

 **-Disclaimer, disclaimer**


	22. Chapter 22

I finally convince Danny to get into a pair of loose sweats and a t-shirt. He can't get the jumpsuit on until we take off his casts, but he really didn't want to hear that. Before we leave the bathroom, I give him stuff to brush his teeth and shave(although at most he had a five o'clock shadow), and then we go back into the medbay.

His spirits have undeniably lifted with the shower, food and clothes. Jazz had dropped off a backpack full of all kinds of things, including a couple books, a notebook and pens, clothes, and a cell phone.

Danny sits back down on the bed, probably tired of standing for so long. Just as he's about to ask me something, my watch beeps, signaling me to the mission room. "Hey, gotta go."

"When will you be back?" he asks.

"Don't know. It's a mission. But here-" I pull out a random book from the bag. It's a heavy book with the title _The Cambridge Star Atlas._ Huh. Light read. I put it on his bed anyway. "Read this."

He gives me raised eyebrows but pulls it towards him. I jog out of the room and down the hall towards the mission room. The rest of the team is already there, including Tucker and Jazz.

"Late much?" snarks Wally, probably still annoyed about earlier.

"Gay much?" I return. Artemis snickers and Wally just goes red again.

"If I was, I wouldn't date you," he retorts.

"That's fine; if you were gay and wouldn't date me, I'd just date Artemis." Artemis looks startled before going absolutely livid.

"Enough," Kaldur orders, but I catch his humored smile.

I'd been with Batman almost five years. He's been with me the same amount of time. We share a telepathic thought: _We're going to talk about this later._ Batman may be all deeply messed up and hard and cold as a rock and stuff, but even he has to appreciate a good ironic joke about Wally. Not that we have anything against gays; it's just hilarious to think of Wally, who's train of thought is exclusively about girls, like that.

Even though now I know Artemis is probably going to kill me because of it.

Batman starts going over the aspects of the mission he'd found for us: a lab similar to Cadmus that had belonged to the light had opened back up after its shutdown following the attack on the Justice League. He explained that they were unaware that we even knew about the lab, so it was strictly as covert as possible.

"Robin," he calls after the briefing, and I go over to him expectantly, the Team going to either to bioship or the computers. "How is Danny Phantom?"

I send a quick glance back at the Team, seeing that Tucker and Jazz were well enough immersed in a conversation with Kaldur and Zatanna that they wouldn't eavesdrop. "He has accelerated healing. The wounds on his head are almost gone."

"Should his casts be removed?"

"Not right now… He doesn't do well with people yet."

Batman nods once, knowing exactly what I'm getting at. "So when you return?"

"That should work."

"Has he displayed any memories?"

"Some fragmented ones. He remembers a couple impressions, like the meaning of random words. He remembered his hero uniform, and he got this look of nostalgia. Other than that, nothing."

"Nostalgia?"

I shrug. "Wistful. You know… Like he had an impression… If I had to guess, the actual aspect of being a hero is something he remembers the best."

Batman is silent. Of course, the Batman is always silent. But there are different reasons for his silence, and the auras of them are different. The silence he has right now has the ambiance (that's a weird word) of deep thinking.

"What are you thinking?" I ask.

"There are studies of amnesiacs whose hobbies are the key to their memories. A pianist, for instance, could remember more easily while playing the piano."

"You think he should be a hero again?"

Batman gives a slight nod. "Maybe. But first, the mission."

I give him a salute and a cocky smile, running off to where the Team is waiting for me in the bioship. I flip into a seat, the chair automatically molding to me and locking me in.

"What was that about?" Wally asks, chewing on a granola bar.

"Just asking about Danny," I inform.

"How's he doing?" Kaldur asks.

I shrug. "Jumpy, paranoid, socially anxious. All the things you'd expect. He's already showing improvement, though. Jazz and Tucker just need to be patient."

"Ha!" barks Conner. I can't even scold him. They are not the patient type.

M'gann lifts the bioship into the air.

* * *

"Urgh, everything hurts," whines Zatanna, collapsing in a seat. The other Team members trudge on, all exhausted.

The mission fared like all our others.

Horribly off plan.

Stay covert, stay out of sight. Ha! Yeah, right.

We'd blown our cover, fought several dozens of robots powered by green energy that didn't stay down until we blew them up, all got knocked into unconsciousness at least three times each, and of course, we left the building only seconds before it blew up.

We do have something for this mission that we didn't have before, though: Aparato and Vision. Aparato-Tucker- hacked through the connection I set up for him and got tons of info downloaded back at the cave before the place blew.

Even Conner was injured, a feat nearly impossible in and of itself. In fact, the people with the super strength got hit the hardest by the energy guns the robots wielded. At least no one had any broken limbs. There were some broken ribs, though.

The ride home is silent, the Team just barely keeping their eyes open. I'm pretty sure we all have multiple concussions, to be fair. If you can even have more than one concussion at a time, that is.

Batman waits for our debriefing in the mission room. One look and he decides it can wait. "Everyone to the medbay," he commands. We do this kind of nodding motion, sluggishly changing direction from aimlessly walking to the medbay.

Tucker and Jazz stand up worriedly, coming to help with those of us who couldn't walk well, i.e. Wally (twisted ankle) and Zatanna (who was walking in curves).

The medbay has ten beds, fortunate because all of us are going to need to sit down, even me. I knocked my head into more rocks than I cared to count, and was having trouble remembering the fight clearly.

Danny had been sitting against the pillows, legs bent so his book could rest comfortably. He sets it down when we all come in, glancing nervously at all the people. I choose the bed next to his, sitting on the edge. As soon as my feet leave the ground my head hurts even worse.

"What happened?" he asks quietly, to which I'm grateful. At least he's not yelling it, right?

"We got our butts kicked," I supply. It sounds a little distant, kind of like an echo. "Echo, echo," I echo.

Batman comes over to me after hearing this. "This side," he demands. Confused, I switch from the side facing Danny to the one facing away. I understand as soon as Batman carefully pulls off my mask. Of course he wouldn't want Danny seeing my identity. I also notice he shields my face from everyone else with his body. Jazz and Tucker hadn't found out my identity yet, but knew everyone else's.

"Follow my finger," he commands again. He moves it back and forth in front of my head, and I can feel my eyes not working right.

"Batman," I complain. "You're making me dizzy." He pulls back with a deeper frown. He replaces my mask, clicking the lenses to something darker.

"How many times did you knock your head?" Batman asks.

I start counting. Once when a robot slammed my head in the wall and another time on the ground. Something blunt but hard hit me another time, but I lost consciousness so it could've been more. I think one other time?

Three, maybe four.

"Robin."

Oh, I never said it outloud. Three or four.

"Robin!" It's no louder, but more urgent. Even the change of tone hurts my head.

"Sorry," I murmur. "I was counting. Four, I think."

"Did you lose consciousness at all?"

"Yeah, couple times. I don't really remember though."

"Do you feel pain anywhere else?"

I do a mental inventory. No, my suit protects everywhere else on my body. My foot hurts a little, but I've felt it broken before and this is nothing. I shake my head, but immediately regret it. My head is now swimming. Batman helps me lean back against the pillows.

"Phantom."

I don't hear him reply, but know he answers Batman nonverbally.

"Make sure he stays awake."

"Okay."

Batman moves to Artemis next, who I think is the one with the broken ribs. I also see Black Canary working on Conner and Red Tornado on M'gann. Strangely, Jazz seems at ease with wrapping Wally's foot. I'm surprised Batman let her, too. Zatanna sits with Tucker, who chats endlessly. I think she has a concussion, too.

"Robin!" Danny snaps.

"Calm down, I'm still awake," I groan irritably. "I've done this before." My head is pounding. Ugh. Should've asked Bats for some aspirin.

"Do you want an ice pack?" he asks. I mumble a yes. But instead of going over to the freezer to grab one, he reaches behind his pillows and pulls out the one I gave him a while ago.

"That's not going to be cold anymore," I tell him.

"Ye of little faith." I want to snicker at his tone, but I'm a bit too exhausted. He gets off his bed slowly and slips the surprisingly freezing pack behind my head. I lift my head because it's a bit too cold. Danny notices and takes one of his unused shirts from a pile at the foot of his bed and puts that between my head and the pack.

"How is it so cold?"

"My hands do it," he explains, like that makes all the sense in the world. I ask him what he means. "I don't know. I just hold it, and it stays cold."

"Well, it feels nice." So nice, in fact, my head has stopped hurting so bad. Now the only problem is how heavy my eyes are. I try to ignore the fact that I'm exhausted, but I can't. I just want to sleep. I haven't slept in forever. How cruel that the people that are the most tired are the ones who can't sleep!

"Robin, tell me another story."

"I don't know any stories."

"How'd this team form?"

"Hush, I'm tired."

"And I'm _curious_!" I wave him off. "Robin, are you guys sidekicks?"

"No," I say sharply, more forcefully than anything else I've said so far. I want to wonder why he chose that specific word, but it's not in my best interest.

"Really? Why not?" He pokes me in the arm when I don't answer. "Robin, Robin, tell me the story!"

"Geez, fine!"

I start telling him the story about how we rebelled against the Justice League, investigated Cadmus, broke out Superboy, got our butts kicked by Superboy and then our fantastic escape. Everytime I try to gloss over details, Danny gets annoying again and I have to go back and elaborate.

After I'm done, I whine that I want to sleep.

"If you can walk," Danny challenges.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you have a concussion, you have to stay awake only if you can't hold a conversation, can't walk straight, and if your pupils are dilated," he lectures. Batman glances over, curious, but nods that that is, indeed, correct.

"How do you know that?"

"I just... do." He gets that confused and faraway look in his eyes. Then he snaps back to reality before I can call him out on it. "Get up."

I mutter about bossy idiots and no respect for the injured but drag myself out of bed and walk back and forth in a straight line to prove to my two nurses that I'm fine. "Ta-da."

I carefully climb back onto the bed and back against the cold pack, which isn't very cold anymore. "Now can I go to sleep?"

Batman nods. Danny nods. He also reaches behind my head and refreezes the pack, turning it cold again. I don't even feel him withdraw, I'm so quickly asleep.

* * *

 **Hi again!**

 **I'm so excited for my plans for this story! I've got his memory return figured the heck out _and_ what happened to Sam! **

**-If you find any problems with the plot, please let me know, because I tend to forget little things in it. By the way, I put a little DP quote in one of Danny's chapters, I think it was the third... See if you can find it!**

 **One last order of business: I have another FanFic, already completed and my first beloved. It's not a crossover and is a futuristic story, next generation. Do you guys think I should post it? Cuz Idk**

 **-Disclaimer, disclaimer**


	23. Chapter 23

The medbay has gotten a little suffocating.

There are people there now, all sleeping. Superboy, Aqualad, Miss Martian, Robin and Zatanna are all dozing around me. Amo doesn't show up. The lights are all off, but she doesn't come out.

I can't relax with the people here, so I can't sleep. I try to read, but I'm not relaxed enough for that either.

So I get bored. It doesn't take long, actually. Only about twenty minutes.

That habit's probably going to get annoying soon.

But more than my boredom, I'm curious. What's beyond the medbay?

I glance around at the sleeping forms, kind of wishing Robin was awake so he could show me around, but he's dead out. He hasn't even shifted since he fell asleep.

My power had also been slowly building up, pressing against my chest, and I kinda wanted to try it out again. I slide off the bed, letting my flight kick in so I can hover. This feels cool!

I move forward, slipping instinctually into the previously forgotten habit. When I reach the door, I phase right through, another instinct.

Okeedokee… Right or left?

Huh, let's go right. Why not?

I float silently down the halls and come into a big cavernous room with the biggest TV I've ever seen. Well, I don't remember any specific TVs, but it's _has_ to be the biggest. It's as big as the wall.

There's a kitchen with all these shiny appliances, dining room with a huge table and comfortable chairs, a living room decked out with books and couches, and a foosball table. Wow. This place is _nice_!

I follow another hall and find a huge training room. There's all kind of gymnastics things, a running track, weight training, a pool, mats. There are even rings hung from the ceiling.

I don't actually stop and use any of the stuff; I'm just looking. Exploring is one thing, but I don't have permission to touch any of this stuff. Though I doubt they'd be too mad, if they're anything like Robin.

There's a hallway of doors that I assume are bedrooms based on their plaques (they have names), a room with a ship that also has ocean access, a library, and the biggest room.

It has a huge computer with several screens accompanied with a work station that has a couple things scattered on it. There's a weird glass plate on one side of the room, too, and a huge contraption set inside the wall. Otherwise, it's empty.

Okay, well. Now what.

There are no windows, I notice. Are we underground? Given the amount of stone, I wouldn't be surprised. But it doesn't really… smell like it. Yeah, yeah, I'm crazy. But being underground has this certain smell. Like dirt and moisture. This place smells more like sea water and rock.

A shadow flits across the darkened floor. At first, I expect the worst, but I soon recognize this particular shadow. Amo.

I approach it, but it flits away. I try again with the same result.

Is… Is this a game?

I follow warily, not interested in a game of tag. Amo leads me through the halls again and into the sea access room. It climbs up the walls. I lift myself higher. It moves onto the ceiling, flitting over the top of the ship.

It's a hatch.

So?

Amo disappears. I don't move. It comes back, as if wondering why I didn't follow. Then, it disappears again. Still, I stay where I am.

Amo comes back agitated. It circles the hatch three times impatiently before disappearing again. Finally, I stick my head up through the hatch. It's a large space, big enough to hold the ship obviously, and it leads far up to another hatch. Amo is here, and as soon as it sees me, it rushes up.

This time I follow contiguously up through the hatch.

Immediately I'm glad I did. Amo led me right up to the outside. And the stars are out!

I fly higher, amazed at the feeling of outside. The wind bites into my clothes, but I find the cold the perfect temperature. Underneath me is a mountain-of course!- to my right is a small town, my left there's an endless ocean, and above me the infinite stars.

My eyes expertly pick out the constellations. I know through the placement of the North Star that it is November/December. I might be off, but it's at least the winter hemisphere. I glance around me, all the quiet and open space.

Without a second thought, I drop my flight.

The ground rushes up to meet me, and I pull up at the last second. Following the mountain shape closely, I make my way towards the ocean.

I fly close to the waves, but not so close that I get wet, though I do get sprayed. My cheeks sting with the wind and salt water, exhilarating me. My speed continues to pick up until my legs change to a weightless tail.

This… this is the feeling I had remembered that had made me try for escape. This… This is everything I've been waiting for. Here, I'm alone, I'm in this vast expanse that I can do anything in.

I'm still healing though.

After a while, I get tired from the flying, my body wishing for the bed again. Instead of going back to the beds, however, I pick a ledge on the mountain and land there. I sit up against the mountain, my back on stone, and keep my eyes open, taking in all I'd missed.

The moon moves slowly through the sky, a crescent sliver that blocks out certain stars as it slugs by.

Hours pass, and the moon disappears behind me.

With my hearing, I detect a small woosh from behind me and soft footsteps. Luckily, I'd already marked in my head who it was, and Jazz comes up behind me. I turn to her, slightly defensive, hands placed on the ground in case I need to jump up quickly.

"Don't worry, I didn't come to talk," she tells me. "I just knew you were up here, because, well, it's you." I give her a look that begs her to stop before she starts spazzing out. She sighs. "Can I watch the sun rise with you?"

Slowly, I nod, and she sits down beside me, pulling her knees up to her chest with her arms and setting her chin on the top of her knees.

The sky alights with brilliant oranges, pinks and reds, melting the stars away from the sky. Jazz watches with a faraway look in her eyes, says nothing. When the sun rises out of the water, she stands up and offers her hand. "Batman says he's going to see if he can take off your casts today."

Reluctantly, I take her hand, and she pulls me up. "It's only been a few days," I inform her.

She shrugs. "But you don't argue with Batman…"

Guess not. She leads back through the way she came, which leads to the living rooms. From there, we go back to the medbay.

Everyone is gone, except for Robin, Batman, and a leather-clad woman with long blonde hair. "Found him," Jazz tells the occupants, as if it weren't obvious.

"Sit."

Somehow, Batman's voice is stern and leaves no room for question, but he still manages to get his good intentions across. I follow his command, perching on the edge of the bed facing him.

"Hand."

I proffer my hand, and he takes it, placing something square on it. He looks at one of TVs mounted around the room, which shows an xray of a hand; perfectly healed.

"How did it heal that fast?" the woman in black asks, looking at the xray intently.

"The cast sends ultrasound waves that speeds the healing process," he answers. "Combined with an IV of calcium and iron supplements and his natural healing ability, it's rate is expected."

Oh...kay…

"So it comes off?" asks Robin, apparently awake. With his mask, it's impossible to tell if his eyes are open or closed.

"Yes. Canary, cast saw."

I'm still looking at the xray, but when he says this, I whip my attention to that. Batman picks up the saw, which isn't very big and turns to me.

Everyone can see the look of petrification on my face, because Batman moves no closer and everyone exchanges glances.

"Danny," Robin offers first. "I've gotten a cast off before. The saw doesn't get anywhere near your skin; only the thickest parts. The rest is pried off. Seriously, all it does is tickle."

"It will be loud, but it's only noise," Jazz offers next.

Batman waits for me to accept this and patiently holds his hand out for mine. I finally decide it's okay, it's okay. It's okay.

I squeeze my eyes shut and repeat the mantra over and over again in my head. It's okay, it's okay…

Batman turns the saw on.

Visions flash before my eyelids of pain and blood, the sound, the sound that was always the warning of it's pain…

In less than a moment, I'm on the opposite side of the room, my hand protectively over my chest, my back pressed against a corner.

He turns it off, but I'm no better. Nobody moves. I stay in my corner, having a staring contest with them.

"It has to come off," the woman-Canary- prods gently. I don't move. She turns to Batman and mutters softly, but I still hear her. "We could try again later, ask him if he wants to be sedated."

I shake my head.

"Do you have a better way?" Batman asks, setting the saw down. When that still doesn't calm me, he puts the entire thing away.

Robin gets off his bed, walking towards me at his normal sauntering pace. The two women give him a wary glance, like I'll run off. He just snatches my uncasted wrist and starts dragging me back over to the bed.

"Like he said," Robin remarks in that sassy tone of his. "You got a better way?"

I hold out my hand, turn intangible, and let the cast fall off.

"Huh," he says, surprised, then grins. "I suppose that is a better way."

Batman is completely unfazed by the turn of events. "Can you move it?"

I wiggle my fingers. They ache from being in the same position for so long- straight out- but otherwise move fine.

"Your arm?"

I misunderstand. When he said 'your arm' I thought he meant take that cast off, too. Too late do I realize he meant 'let's check the xray on your arm'. I wonder if this ever happens to the people on his team. Batman _is_ on a team, right?

But the cast falls off, and my arm feels fine. I rotate my shoulder, same result.

"Completely healed. You no longer need to stay in the medbay." Batman stops for a second, plunging the room into silence. "Understood. Robin, set Phantom up in a room. Canary, we're needed elsewhere."

She nods, and they leave.

"So, a room?" I ask nervously, staring at my hand, which is flexing open and closed.

"Nah. First, how about…"

I realize the end of the question requires looking, so I glance up to see Robin holding up my suit. I break out in a huge smile.

"Definitely."

* * *

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 **Three thousand reads! WOW!**

 **I am going to post my other story, but I'm also taking reposting as an opportunity to do a little modification, so give me perhaps a week. It's called _Set Alight_. Or will be, anyhow.**

 **Finally: Reviews are my favorite thing right now, good and critical. So don't be shy!**

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	24. Chapter 24

Phantom goes into the bathroom with his suit, preferring not to change in front of us (I don't blame him). Jazz and I sit on the edge of his bed, impatient.

"Well?"

He comes straight through the door, not bothering to open it. As soon as he is in full view, he strikes a ridiculous superhero pose, displaying his suit.

The suit fits him flawlessly, and I have to admit, it does look very comfortable, and it's not stretchy like I thought it would be. He also wears the white/gray gloves half up his forearms, the boots of the same color half up his calves, and a matching utility belt around his waist. I helped with the belt, given my particular expertise for the clothing article.

On his chest, there's the DP symbol, and there's a white collar, but everything else is black.

I clap my hands. Jazz has the biggest smile on her face.

He releases his stance and floats down to us, smiling slightly.

"But wait!" I shout. "There's more!"

Jazz gives me a puzzled look; Danny a curious one.

I jump off the bed and sprint over to a drawer, throwing it open and grabbing the gift inside. It's just a plain white box, because I despise wrapping. I'd hidden it here before the mission last night, but Danny wasn't there when I woke up.

I give him a huge smile as I hold it out to him.

He gives me a confused look and takes it. After pulling off the top of it, he pulls off the tissue paper Alfred had wrapped the gift in.

I watch the bewilderment as he pulls out the sheer black fabric. It comes undone, and I can't contain my smile.

"You got me… a blanket?"

"What, no…" Now _I'm_ confused. "It's a cape."

He lights up. "Really?!"

"Yeah, it's upside down." I seize the clasp and pull it away from him, displaying it right side up. It's black on the outside and white on the inside. I actually used one of Batman's old capes for this, simply taking off the ragged ends and adding a hood and stealth tech to change the color.

The emblem is the DP symbol, of course, and courtesy of Wayne Tech's newest 3D printer.

Danny's eyes shine as I throw it around him, and he pulls the clasp shut. "How did you know I've always wanted a cape?!" he cries, turning around in it and waving his arms to move it.

"Tuck told me," I boast. "Something about two parts of your personality splitting so you could be in two places at once. One part of you used a bedsheet. By the way, that's a special Kevlar-pylon weave, built to be light but durable. So you shouldn't be able to break it."

Shouldn't. But probably will.

"And I didn't get you a mask, because it tends to hurt super-seers rather than help. Y'know, like Superman and Superboy."

"Super-seers?" he snickers.

"Yeah. You can see better than other people, right?"

"Yup! And I can see in the dark."

"Cool," I tell him. "Now let's go meet the team!"

"Um." He gives me a wary look.

"No, it'll be fun! They all helped me get you out of that place, and they've been _dying_ to meet you."

Jazz rolls her eyes.

Danny gives a tight nod, and I frown at his sudden change in temperament. I just give him a big smile and take off to the mission room, where Canary is giving the daily training lesson. Danny easily keeps pace with me, but Jazz opts to walk leisurely behind us.

We enter the room just as Artemis upends Kaldur onto the floor. Her name lights up announcing her victory.

Canary nods approvingly. "Very good Artemis. Remember to keep your fists loose until you throw a punch. You'll over strain yourself. And Kaldur, you're in the surface world. I know it can be difficult to accustom yourself to the air density, but don't punch so hard, you over extend."

They both nod and leave the ring.

"Who's next?" she asks with a grin.

"Hi!" The Team turns to me, including Superboy who I _know_ knew we were already there. "Guys, meet Danny!"

M'gann gives a smile and a wave, Artemis nods once, Superboy folds his arms and the rest of the team actually says hi outloud.

I glance back at him to make sure he's not freaking out. Luckily, he isn't. He looks nervous, but not panicked. He mutters hi, too. Improvement.

"I like your costume," Wally offers. "It doesn't look very comfortable, though. Is it rubber?"

"It's a mix of nitrile rubber, teflon and tyvek. Chemical, biological and nuclear protection. It uses cooling agent between the layers that stiffens when something tries to break the individual layers and also keeps it breathable and cool. So yes, it is very comfortable." He folds his arms to end his speech.

I chuckle. He is so defensive of his suit!

"Anyway, this is the team…" I leave the introduction open ended so they fill it in.

"I'm Miss Martian! But you can call me M'gann. And this here's Superboy!"

Of course she's the first one, and the one to introduce Superboy. I roll my eyes under my mask.

Danny gives them a wave.

"Call me Artemis. And the one who can never shut up is Kid Mouth."

"It's Kid Flash," he corrects with a defensive frown.

"I'm Zatanna." She gives a warm smile to us both. Wink wink.

"You may call me Kaldur, but my hero title is Aqualad."

"And you already know Tucker and Jazz," I tell him. "And you can just go by Phantom, if that's cool."

"Why?" he asks, tilting his head slightly.

"Phantom strikes people more as a hero name."

"When did I agree to get a hero name?" He narrows his eyes at me. "Are you still concussed? Or did I already agree to this?"

"No. I just think you should."

"I don't think that I'm quite ready for something like that…" He reaches up to rub his neck. "I mean, I just got healed and my memory-"

I interrupt. He's starting to blame himself for the memory lost, and he shouldn't. "Let's find out, shall we?" I hold my hand out towards the sparring ring with a hint of challenge. He gives me a wary look. "Unless you don't think you can fight me…"

He raises one eyebrow. "You are going to eat those words."

Laughing, I hop onto the glass, and it recognizes me. Phantom stops hovering and lands on the glass, and it recognizes him too.

"How does it do that?" he asks, looking at his name.

I shrug. "The Cave scanned you when we came." Without warning, I launch forward, feigning a punch before dropping to the ground and sweeping my feet. To my slight surprise, he'd floated back into the air.

Using my momentum, I flip back up and hold my stance loosely, waiting for him to throw the first punch. He just wraps his arms behind his back, smiling smugly.

"You fight me first," I prompt.

"But defense is the best offense," he replies.

I aim a punch at his chest, where his head would be if he were on the ground. "It's offense is the best defense!"

He moves back and then up to avoid the kick I'd sent too. "Eh, they both work."

I send a complex combination of kicks and punches, unavoidable in his current position, but to my surprise they all miss.

With a frown, I poke where Phantom is obviously standing. It's as if he's a mirage; my finger goes right through. "That's _not_ fair," I sulk. "No phasing out."

He shrugs. "Can't help it, that's how I fight."

"Well, fight on this plane of existence," I whine, and he just shrugs, lowering. I throw a punch and it actually lands. And wow, he's _hard_. Batman said Danny's bones where more durable than a human's, but wow, that's rock solid. Like punching Superboy.

Danny actually throws a punch this time, but I twist and it glances off my arm. I throw two more punches, and he lets them land but swings a kick into my side. Instead of letting the momentum throw me off, I use it to carry me into a backflip, where I land on the balls of my feet. Without breaking the movement, I push off the ground and launch myself at his feet.

He upends over me, but I curl into a somersault and land right back on my feet, Danny collapsed on the ground. I give a huge smug smile, but no victory is announced. Confused, I look down to make sure Danny's actually there.

"Um, I took you out, right?" I ask him, to be sure.

He just gives a huge grin. "Sure ya did. But I'm not the original."

Before I can make sense of his words, my knees are buckled underneath me, and a weight at my shoulder slams me into the ground, knocking the breath out of me. Luckily, it's not hard enough to hit my head, because I am still pretty concussed, as Danny would put it.

But Batman prepares for that with shaded masks and a regular drug dosage, to make sure I don't regress.

I bend my head up, Danny materializing from the air. He smirks at me as the Danny on the ground disappears. The victory appears in the air, handing it to Danny.

He offers his hand and I take it, hopping up. "I had no idea you could duplicate!"

Kaldur nods, a slight smile. "That could definitely come in handy."

"I had no idea you could do that!" I repeat, then laugh, not deterred by my defeat. I will destroy him at another date.

"Neither did I." He frowns.

"My theory was correct!" Jazz exclaims, her eyes shining again. Danny looks at her in confusion. "You have an obsession to be a hero, and if you are a hero, your memories come back! Well, there's a lot more to it than just _that_ , of course, but that's the gist."

"No memories came back," he notes.

"No, but you haven't saved anyone yet."

"But I'm not ready to do stuff like that."

"Yeah, but we don't have time to search for the perfect scenarios and treatments for you. Tucker and I have been piecing together what the GIW have been planning, and we don't know what it is yet, but it's _huge_. We don't have time to tiptoe. Besides, if you got into it, it'd take you about three seconds to realize it is against your very nature to take things slow. You rival Kid's impulsivity."

He's silent. "I don't know whether to take offense or agree," he mutters, rubbing his neck.

"Would Batman even let us?" Wally asks.

"It's your team," Black Canary tells us. "Besides, it's not like we've ever been able to stop you before."

I snicker behind my hands, and the team has similar responses.

Kaldur glances around the room. "Any objections to Phantom making an addition to our team?"

Danny starts to raise his hand, but I smoothly pull it down for him. The team all shakes their heads, or smiles, or in Conner's case, folds their arms.

"Will you join us, then?" Kaldur asks Danny.

"Um…"

"C'mon," I whine. "What's the worst that could happen?"

He purses his lips. "Sounds like something that was said before I died."

Tucker laughs. Everyone looks at him like he's being insensitive. "What? It just wouldn't be Danny Phantom if he didn't make jokes about his death. By the way, it wasn't exactly what Sam said but it… No wait, wait! I remember, it was 'C'mon, Danny! Aren't you curious?'"

To my surprise, Danny smiles. "Yeah, that seems about right."

"So, c'mon Danny! Aren't you curious?"

Danny folds his arms and rolls his eyes at Tucker. For a few heavy seconds Danny just floats there, before sighing and muttering, "Fine.."

* * *

 **Sorry about that cliche... But I simply _couldn't_ write a crossover without the sparring scene. It's against my inner fangirl.**

 **Anyway, y'all are being so patient! I'm not trying to drag it out, but I don't want it to seem rushed. Hopefully it doesn't seem too long. But I do have almost every loose end attended to, including:**

 **Sam's disappearance (I know I shouldn't spoil it for y'all, so all I'll say is **patience, grasshoppers**),**

 **Danny's human identity (I'm so excited for this it's gonna be great),**

 **his returned memories,**

 **his parents (swear I didn't forget 'bout them),**

 **Vlad,**

 **Axion labs and Wayne Industries' deal**

 **AAAAND**

 **That pretty much covers it. Please please tell me if I missed anything, because that could get really annoying to fix later. And also I think I'm going to put a little Dani clone action in here pretty soon. Should I ship her with anyone? That'd be kind of cool to see.**

 **Anyway, l8rs!**

 **(Wow, that was really lame, don't hate me)**


	25. Chapter 25

"Ilch."

"What?"

"Just… Ilch."

I'd come to the training room like Robin said to, where Tucker was laying on the ground in some kind of twist, Robin standing over him.

It'd only been a couple days since I "joined", but Robin used those days to integrate me into life here.

"What's ilch?" he asks.

"An expression of _ughhh_ ," responds Tucker, unraveling from his position.

"I didn't say you could stop," Robin snarks, putting a hand on his hip.

"You didn't say I _couldn't_."

"Then I'm telling you now."

"I'm telling you-"

"Will _both_ of you shut up?" shouts Artemis from the other side of the training room, where she and Jazz are doing… something… on a bunch of bars.

" _ILCH_!" They both screech. Tucker and Robin look at each other, then shrug.

"A hundred pushups," Robin says to break the silence.

"Are you kidding me? Maybe no."

Robin just shrugs and pulls Tucker's ever-present PDA from his bag. He turns it on and puts the brightness all the way up. "The longer you take, the more battery you lose."

Tucker gives him the most petrifying glare. "I'm going to do these hundred pushups and use my amazing new muscles to kill you."

Robin just laughs. "87%!"

He gets on the ground and pushes one, two, three.

I wonder if anyone is ever going to notice me.

Tucker gets to thirty before stopping for a break, to which Robin taunts, "82…"

He goes again.

"Hey," Robin calls over to Artemis and Jazz, who are doing pull ups now. "Do you know if Danny's coming? He was supposed to be here like ten minutes ago. Hey, I didn't say stop. 80%!"

"Um, right here," I say, waving a hand.

Robin twirls around before smirking. "Um, invisible."

I glance at my hand. It's there… Oh, guess I would be able to see myself, huh. I switch into visibility. "Sorry."

He waves it off. "Let's just get this party started. What'd'ya want to do?"

I shrug. "I um, have super strength. I can fly. Don't think I need pushups or laps."

Robin holds up a finger and turns back to Tucker, who'd paused again. "36%!"

"That's not true!" he cries.

He glances at the screen. "Oh, right, my bad. 63!"

Tucker groans and does some more, starting to pant.

Robin turns back to me. "So you want to do some power training?"

I shrug. "I guess so, sure."

He withdraws a remote from his belt and clicks a button. Then he points to a screen that had turned on. "Want to start with speed? Fly the track." I now see the track on the ceiling marked by a bunch of rings. I ask about them. "They measure speed. Might want to take off the cape. They tend to get caught."

I grin and unclasp it, tossing it over a bench.

"ONE HUNDRED!" shouts Tucker, collapsing on the ground. "How's my baby?"

Robin laughs. "About 86. Turned it off. But only nine minutes! Foley record."

Tucker groans and snatches back his device.

"Now you go," Robin addresses me.

I launch up and wait for his mark. "GO!" he shouts from below.

In a flash I start flying, carefully avoiding smashing into the rings. The ground below becomes a blur as I go faster and faster, my hair flying out behind me and my legs morphing again. You know, I thought about this, and they probably do that because flapping legs slow you down. A weightless tail doesn't.

"OKAY!" shouts Robin from below. "THAT'S PROBABLY GOOD! COME BACK!"

I slow down and fly to them, which now included Artemis and Jazz. Jazz hands me a water bottle and I take it, marveling a bit at our very casual interaction.

Robin is smiling widely, to no one's surprise. "You want your top speed?"

I shrug. "Sure."

"543 miles per hour," he bubbles. No seriously, bubbles. He's bubbling.

Tucker has a smirk. "Last time we measured it, it barely got to 200."

I drink some of the water, indifferent. "What does that mean?"

"WELL," begins Robin, and I prepare myself for what's sure to be a long and dramatic monologue. "It means you are our fastest flier, the only one of us who can phase through stuff… but M'gann is getting closer. But she can't phase through everything like you can! It also means you're the only one to go invisible, M'gann can only camouflage. You are perfectly silent, as you have no heartbeat and usually float around. There's also some kind of energy beam you can shoot. AND you can duplicate, which only Zatanna can do, but that's just one of her spells. And who knows what else!"

I incline my head, looking to Tucker and Jazz.

Artemis answers. "What he means is you could easily be our greatest asset, and our powerhouse."

"Oh. Okay. But I feel like we're missing stuff. Tucker, Jazz? Do you guys know all my powers?"

Jazz nods, Tucker responds, tapping something on his PDA. "Strength, because gravity doesn't affect you, speed because of your weightlessness and general flying ability, super senses including but not limited to super hearing and night vision. Invisibility, intangibility, ghost sense, creating light, overshadowing, morphing your body shape, ghost rays and ectoplasm manipulation, ice creation and manipulation, ghost shield and duplication." He takes a deep breath and continues. "Powers in the works, as in you've used them before or have the potential to use them but can't really use them yet include…" He takes another breath. "Ghost stinger, telekinesis, teleportation, ghost portal creation, and you might be able to create fire, because you did once or twice, WHEW."

Robin and Artemis exchange a look.

"That's… um… a lot," stumbles Robin.

"Yeah, we have a running email chain about it," Tucker grins, then falters. "I mean, we did."

"Those were kind of specific, though," Jazz cuts in. "Really, they all fall under gravity suppression, invisibility, intangibility, ghost energy and ice."

"And most of those I didn't even know," Artemis adds. I nod, most of those also lost on me. "I mean, overshadowing? What's that?"

"Possession," Jazz and Tucker respond unanimously.

She looks alarmed. Tucker just nods. "Just walks into people and then he's them. Here, try with me."

I give him a horrified look. "What! No!"

"It isn't a violation or anything, at least not to me. You know, as long as you don't do something incredibly stupid."

The others look incredibly interested, but I still feel weird. I just… walk in him? I probably need to go intangible, right?

I go intangible and walk right into him. Instantly, I'm sucked in, pushing Tucker away and becoming him. I clench my fist, moving a couple steps, marveling at the normalcy of it.

"Danny?" Robin asks.

I look at him. "Yep, it's me… In.. er, Tucker's body."

Artemis shakes her head. "That's so weird."

I release Tucker, and he stumbles once before regaining balance.

"That could also come in freaking handy," Robin chuckles. "I mean, portal creation?" He lets out a low whistle.

"Well, that's something his older self could do. Who knows when he figures it out," Jazz supplies, shrugging.

Wow, okay. "Looks like we've got some work to do…"

Robin chuckles. "This is gonna be great!"

I roll my eyes and retrieve my cape.

"Hey! Mission!" he shouts. A second later, the intercom announces team members report to the mission room. I don't even ask how he does it. "C'mon, Danny, first mission!"

He takes off. I look at Artemis, but she just shrugs and starts jogging, followed by Tucker and Jazz. I follow them, quickly overtaking everyone except Robin, who's already there.

Robin jerks to a stop, surrounded by the other team members who are already there (how?). Batman is standing in front of the console, waiting for the others. I float close to the ground behind Robin, finding he's the most comfortable person in the room.

"I researched the traces of the substance powering the automatons you fought on your last mission," he begins, and the screen shows the strange greenish material. "It is unidentified. I managed to locate a large reserve of it, however, through it's unique energy output. Coordinates have been sent. Given their advantage over you last time you fought them, I suggest a less direct plan. Find out what you can."

The team nods all at once, almost scary in unison.

"Restock and meet at the bioship in fifteen minutes," Kaldur orders, and the team disperses.

Batman calls after me, "Phantom."

Robin gives me a grin. "You are coming. We won't leave without ya. I have to go restock, meet you there!" And he runs off, the traitor.

I float over to Batman, keeping my eyes focused on his emblem.

"Robin told me you joined the team."

I shrug. "He didn't give me much choice."

"Are you ready for this?"

"Robin thinks so."

"What do you think?"

I shrug again, and give a half smile. "Everyone knows me better than I know myself right now. But I guess I won't know for myself until I try."

Batman gives a curt nod. "It is unlikely you have brainwashing or preset directions, based on evaluations done by both Doctor Fate and by Martian Manhunter. But it is still a possibility."

I tilt my head, confused. "You think I might be a traitor?"

"We've had problems with traitors and moles in the past. Most are unaware they are doing so. Our enemies are getting more creative."

I rub the back of my head, unsure of how to assuage these accusations. But they're valid, I guess. "Just don't tell me anything important."

Batman looks a bit taken aback.

I continue. "I don't want to be tracked anywhere or watched all the time. I didn't trade one prison for another. In my right mind, I wouldn't betray any kind of secret, important or otherwise, but I guess it's possible somebody has a back door to my head. The GIW aren't that smart, though. They wouldn't think of doing something like that. I also lost all my memories to simply keep my head my own. If you're really worried, don't tell me stuff."

He's silent for a moment, face blank. "Thank you for your input. Report to the launch pad."

I give him a little smile before flying off.

* * *

 **Alright, I'm gonna make one thing clear: All the powers mentioned in this chapter are straight from the TV show. Everything I mentioned was confirmed, I swear. Even the fire thing. In two instances Danny makes ectoplasmic fire. Also, his older self in the _Ultimate Enemy_ episode could create portals, and I think that's something Danny would figure out how to do eventually, so yeah. **

**I don't know if you guys ever noticed, but Danny finds a new way to use his powers almost every episode... Anyways.**

 **I fixed a couple mistakes in past chapters, thanks to you guys that pointed those out to me! (Apparently anthrax is _not_ a type of rubber...) **

**Annnd in response to some responses for some previous chapters.**

 **A) The little reference I hid _is_ in Chapter 5. "Nothing to be afraid of but fear itself" from the infa-map episode. **

**B) Okay, so Dani is 14/15 so at most she will have a crush, and I'm not sure about that either because as you guys pointed out, no one's really in the age group. Didn't even notice that! Thanks!**

 **C) Raquel, Icon's protege, has already joined the Justice League. It's mentioned in the comic books how fast she joined to be with her mentor. Plus, I really didn't understand anything about her character and that would've been hard to write...**

 **D) This is about a year after DP, so Danny is about 17, Jazz 19. Also about a year after season 1 of Young Justice, so Artemis and Wally are 16, Kaldur 17, Robin and Zatanna 14, Superboy 2 (ha) and M'gann probably 16ish (I don't know, sorry).**

 **E) Because I'm sorry about the long author note, and because I want to reward anyone who read this long, I will give you a spoiler: Sam does come back, but none of you have guessed how yet. You're welcome.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Yours truly**


	26. Chapter 26

"Nervous about Phantom?" I ask Kaldur.

"I have doubts. But they deal with team dynamics, not his ability."

"Alright then." Together, we walk to the launch room, where Kid and Artemis are making out. Kaldur sighs, and I stick out my tongue and crinkle my nose. "Guys…"

Artemis waves us off, but Kid pulls back, earning an annoyed look from Artemis. He has a stupid smile on his face. "Don't knock it til ya try it," he snarks back, and Artemis just gives us a smug grin. Wally sweeps her off her feet and flashes into the bioship.

I still have a disgusted look. Zatanna, who was probably watching the whole thing, walks past me, pecking me on the cheek as she goes by. My disgusted look morphs into a pleased one, and Kaldur just sighs again.

I follow Zatanna up, Kaldur following. I sit by her, striking up a conversation as we wait for our three missings.

Danny floats up a couple minutes later, giving me a nervous smile. A seat automatically pops up for him, and he hesitantly sits down it, immediately getting strapped in. He gives a squeak, pulling at the restraints.

"It's a seat belt," Kaldur calmly assures, and Danny gives a weak smile.

"You can probably phase out of it," I call over to him. He does, just to make sure he can, before settling back into the seat.

"Where's Miss Martian and Superboy?" he asks.

"Probably making out," Zatanna offers.

"Seems to be today's trend," Kaldur remarks under his breath, and the other occupants smirk.

M'gann and Superboy come through, running, out of breath. "Sorry," M'gann apologizes, floating into her driver's seat as Superboy sits in a chair that materializes. "We got caught up."

"Kaldur seems to think you were kissing…" sings Zatanna, and Kaldur sends her a glare.

M'gann just goes red and Superboy folds his arms.

"Ha! You totally called it!" shouts Wally, leaning forward in his chair. "Geez, who's next? Place your bets!"

"The only people left are Kaldur and Danny," I note. Danny just looks at me, a look that questions why I would ever say something like that, and somehow his gaze makes me chastise, "And Tucker and Jazz."

"Are we shipping them?" sighs Artemis. "Because I don't think so."

"Maybe Jazz and Kaldur," adds Wally. Kaldur gives the same look to him as Danny gave me. "Or Jazz and Danny."

Danny's reaction reminds me of Tucker's when I'd suggested it. "EW, no, no no no no no." The team looks at him in interest. "No." He pulls up his hood.

We exchange looks. Wally, of course, doesn't shut up about it, though. "Why not? Oh, I know why! Tucker said you and Sam were 'in like'. Are we shipping you two?"

"Why do we have to ship anyone?" he mumbles from under his hood. "Lemme alone."

Wally goes to say something else, but Artemis shoves a granola bar into his mouth. He gags and takes it out, starting to complain that she didn't even take off the wrapper.

When we near the coordinates, the team silences and Kaldur takes up charge. "This place has no information on any database. We're going in completely blind, as much as I don't like that. We'll split into two teams. We need stealth as our break in plan. Phantom, take Robin and Zatanna. Technical, stealth and magic. They should get you through any barriers."

I silently thank Kaldur for putting Danny on my team. And Zatanna.

"The rest of us will follow up, and if we are spotted it will allow you three to achieve the objective. Understood?" Everyone nods, even Danny, albeit reluctantly. "Alright. Miss Martian, link us up."

 _Roll call_ , M'gann calls in our heads.

The team chimes, including Tucker and Jazz, except for Danny. He looks a cross between utterly terrified and confused.

 _It's a mind link. Simple telepathy. We can't go deeper than what you say on the link_ , I inform Danny.

 _Okay._

He says that a lot.

 _Drop point approaching. Are you three ready?_

We stand and move closer together, Danny hovering. I bump his clasp and the inside of his cape turns black.

 _? Oh, cool._

 _Dude, did you just think in question marks?_

 _!# ^%$ & :) ;)_

No matter how serious we are, we can't help but burst out laughing at Danny's remark to Wally. How _did_ he do that?

The mind link fills with the rest of us trying and failing to achieve what Danny did.

 _Exclamation point_

 _Smiley face_

 _Dollar sign_

 _The and symbol_

 _That one symbol you put in email addresses_

 _Team, focus._ We halt at Kaldur's command. _And drop._ A circle opens up beside us, and Danny grabs me in his right hand and Zatanna in his left before dropping through it. As we fall, I hear Kaldur go, _Number sign._

I laugh on the link. _It's called 'pound'!_

 _#,_ thinks Danny. I laugh again.

The building rushes up to meet us, but Danny doesn't slow. We continue right through the ceiling. Both Zatanna and I can't suppress a gasp through the mind link. The sensation is strange, weightless.

We are in a hallway lined with windows, and we float down it. A couple scientists round the corner, and I squeeze Danny's hand to alert him, but he doesn't respond, just continues floating.

 _Phantom, the people!_ I shout in the mind link.

He glances over at me. _We're invisible, Robin…_

 _Oh, my bad. Sorry._

Zatanna laughs in the link.

As we float down the hall I look around for anything that can be of use. I find that in a tech support room. _Phantom, that door right there!_

He immediately goes right through it. There are a couple guys working on the computers, chatting idly.

 _Zatanna, can you do a little hocus pocus?_

She scoffs in her mind. _I'll hocus pocus your costume pink._

"Ekat a pan," she whispers, and the men slump down in their seats, asleep. I rush forward, Phantom dropping my wrist.

"What did you do to them?" he asks, hushed.

"They're taking a nap," Zatanna replies. "They're completely fine. No headache or anything."

I push away one of them and connect the computer to my glove, tapping on it rapidly. Random data starts streaming and I mutter some of it allowed. "Money transfer, electricity stats, programs and projects, here we go… Project Icarus, Project Growth, Project IM, Project Fire and Rage, Pr-"

"Fire and Rage?" Phantom interrupts.

"Know it?"

"Sounds familiar." And on the mind link, _Jazz, Tucker-_

 _Vision and Aparato,_ Jazz corrects.

 _Right, yeah, whatever. Do 'Fire and Rage' mean anything to you?_

… _Fire and Rage… Fire and Rage… Hold up, let us check._ Tucker goes quiet.

 _Great, I'm gonna keep going, though._ I keep scrolling down the list. There are a lot of projects… Geez. OH! Energy initiative! That sounds promising. Main lab research is on SL 12.

 _Found it! Crown of Fire, Ring of Rage, ghostly artifacts. Most of the info about them are in Danny's lost memories, but we know they're dangerously powerful._ Jazz supplies.

 _Leave for a year and the whole world falls apart_ , Danny retorts, snatching my and Zatanna's wrists again. He asks where to go, and I use my computer to direct him.

 _Aqualad, there's another place of interest, an area with tons of energy input. SL 7, room AB. That good for a distraction?_

 _Yes. Miss Martian, use camouflage and connect a totem to the door. Aparato, get ready._

He continues giving instructions, but the three of us focus on our mission. I point left, back towards where I saw an elevator. He gestures down with his head. Everyone else is still talking in our heads, so he leans close to me and whispers, "Down?"

"Elevator. Twelve levels."

He nods and plunges straight down.

I should've thought of that! Of course we wouldn't need an elevator if we literally can go anywhere with Danny's power! We stop in a white room with gray accents, full of machines and unfortunately, scientists.

 _Zatanna?_

She shakes her head. Too many. There have to be three dozen, at least.

 _I have an idea,_ Danny starts hesitantly.

 _Shoot._

The rest of the Team quiets.

 _There are too many people and machines to do this quickly. I say Kaldur's group trips the alarms and the things they lock up before going to safety are the most important and we get those._

 _What if they don't leave?_ I ask.

He flashes me a grin. Did I mention how weird it is that we can see each other invisible, but no one else can? Danny's just... one of a kind. _Just point me to whoever's in charge._

 _Gray coat,_ I respond immediately. Part of Batman's training. _Do you think that's an okay plan, Kaldur?_

 _It's risky. Their security overpowered us last time. This time, however, we are simply distractions… We will try. Be ready to come to our aide. Superboy…_

 _Destroy. Got it._

In less than a minute the alarms go off. They aren't as loud as alarms normally are, just a calm beeping accompanied with intermittent flashes. The crew looks to the leader.

Danny drops Zatanna and I between a large machine and a wall before flying off.

"That's an intrusion. Seal up as much as you can before you evacuate. You know the drill, most important first."

I'm shocked by how smoothly the rest of the crew responds. I can almost hear Danny's tone of voice in this leader guy, but everyone else just hears their superior.

"Hurry it up," he barks.

 _We need a little more urgency, maybe a force strong enough to crash through five floors?_

Somehow Superboy understands me and less than a couple minutes later he crashes through the the ceiling and down a few more floors before jumping back through the hole to his floor. _Wow, can't believe you understood that._

 _Didn't. Was attacked._

 _Oh, okay, we'll hurry. Phantom?_

"Out of time! All of you, out! Out!" It's relatively quiet as people rush out until, "Okay you guys. All clear."

He's the only one left. Danny exits him, and the leader has a moment of disoriented panic before Zatanna shouts, "Ekat a pan!" He slumps to the ground.

"What'd they lock up?" I ask. Danny points to an industrial size freezer. The only downside to this plan is the fact that it _is_ locked up now.

The Team is chatting endlessly on the mind link, "look outs" and "ducks" and all that, but I tune it out.

"Ekat a pan!" cries Danny. Both Zatanna and I look at him. He shrugs. "I wanted to see if anything would happen."

Zatanna chuckles. "You have to be a magician. The words are just words."

"Oh. Can't blame me for trying."

I shake my head and go back to the door. "This could take a while," I mutter, looking at the code.

"Dude." Danny flies up and gestures to himself.

"Oh, then go ahead." He pushes his hand through, but yanks it back with a couple sparks, waving it in pain. "You okay?"

He nods, glaring. "Can't phase through it. It's ghost proof."

"Oo, then this is definitely the right place." I continue tapping on the screen, Danny moving around, trailing his intangible hands along the surface.

"Zatanna," Danny calls. "Can you help?"

She comes over, regarding the freezer. "I might break something."

"Isn't an unlocking spell at the top of your to-learn list?" he asks.

She narrows her eyes in concentration, before shouting, "Kcolnu!" The code stutters and the keypad shakes before steaming and coming unlocked. The door pops open. "Huh, that spell's never done that before."

"Must be the ectoranium," Danny comments. I look at him in question. "It's anti-ghost."

"Oh-kay." I reach inside. There are several stacks of chemicals, most of which with labels. Some chemicals throw me off- they're incredibly rare. But the ones that are all green and glowy have the label: **ectoplasm**. "The green stuff… It's ectoplasm?"

"That makes sense," Danny remarks. "Let's take the ones that have been altered. If we isolate what they're trying to change, we can find out what they're trying to do."

This kid was definitely born to be a hero. Or died to be one? I don't know, ghosts confuse me.

I pick up a tray of slightly different ectoplasm samples. "Will this work?"

"A06. Let's see if there are any others."

He reaches through, checking the labels of several samples. Eventually he chooses one with a much more neon color. "A018. Newest version."

I replace my tray. He hands me the one he has, and I pull out three beakers to put in my belt, just in case we lose the tray. Danny continues to look through the bottles for items of interest.

"Tell me if you see any Blockbuster or Venom containers," I call over my shoulder and go to inspect other areas. He murmurs assent.

I find mostly biological machines, perfectly appropriate for this kind of lab. But there's a pod kind of thing… I'm not sure what it's supposed to be. I circle it, trying to decide what it could be.

 _ROBIN_! Yells M'gann over the mindlink. _We need help NOW!_

I look over at my two companions. They got the same message. Danny is holding a tray full of different colored liquids. He shoots over to us, handing the tray to me and grabbing us both under the arms.

The floors flash by me as Phantom flies straight up. _Can you protect the vials?_ He asks over the mind link.

 _I can try,_ I reply. We reach the floor and Danny drops us.

Around us, destruction.

* * *

After we destroy the fight-Danny just whipped up a little ghostly magic, and the army crumbled. He used a sonic scream more powerful then anything I'd ever seen, including Black Canary.

Using his heroism did get some of his memories back... actually all.

"Guys," he shouts, getting all our attention. We'd been standing in a circle, discussing the fact that Danny got his memories back, while Danny floated, surveying his damage. "Watch." A glowing ring appears around his midsection, and separates, one up, one down, revealing a civilian boy. White hair turned black, green eyes blue, and jump suit into a t-shirt and jeans.

"What!" I cry, shocked. "A human? How could you possess a human? Jazz and Tucker, how could you not tell us?!"

Jazz and Tucker run in, having bolted here from a Zeta Beam nearby when they heard Danny got his memories back. The Team immediately sends horribly angry glances at them.

"I'm not possessing him. I _am_ him," Danny informs. "And I know where Sam is! I hid her in the Ghost Zone!"

He raises his palm, a look of sheer concentration overcoming his features. A bubble of green energy grows on his hand, then pops, creating a spinning vortex. He shoves his hand in the portal, rummages around, then pulls out Sam. She's unconscious. His eyes glow ice blue, and a pendant on her necklace reflects that color. Her eyes open.

"DANNY!" she cries.

They kiss, much to Kaldur's annoyance.

I wonder if everyone will join in. That's what happened on New Year's.

Batman walks in. "Why didn't you tell us?" he demands of Tucker and Jazz.

"I told them not to," Danny supplies, ending his make out session with Sam.

His eyes narrow.

"I did! Secret identity and all."

"I told Mom and Dad you have your memories back and they are waiting for us at home," Jazz adds.

"It's good to have you back, dude," Tucker says with a grin.

"Tucker, do you have muscles?" Sam gasps.

He flexes in response.

"Batman, can Sam join our team?" I ask.

He looks at me. Then nods.

"You can be Chaos," Danny suggests. Sam nods. He kisses her again. This time everyone does join in. Wally and Artemis, Conner and M'gann. Zatanna gives me a wolfish smile before pulling me into a kiss.

Our team continues with four more members than what we had a year ago, Phantom, Chaos, Aparato and Vision.

Eventually, Phantom and Chaos get married and bring little half ghosts onto our team, but that's a story for another time.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **I'm sorry, guys, I couldn't continue the story, but I thought I'd at least give you where it was going. Sorry it's not well-written. It's just been too stressful lately, and HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAH**

 **JUST KIDDING**

 **Too stressful? I literally have no life.**

 **I _swear_ I am kidding. Everything after the first line break is ABSOLUTE CRAP and heed it not. Can't believe I wasted twenty minutes on that crap ending! **

**Man, I wish it was April Fool's.**

 **SORRY I had to. I don't know why. And because I'm sorry I put you through that, I'm going to update again so you don't all hate me and stop reading my story.**


	27. Chapter 27

The vials are important. They're related to so much. I can feel it. Somehow, I don't think Robin is going to keep them as safe as I want them to be. Should I protect it with ice? No, cold might do something bad to it. Ectoplasm shield? That takes too much energy.

 _Phantom!_

Aqualad's shout brings me out of my thoughts and into action. I make a grab for the vials where Robin left them… on the floor (knew he couldn't do it) and then rush into battle.

The robots are strong, fast, and devastating. They can blast much like I can, but it has blue energy instead of green, despite the fact that they're _glowing_ green. Weird.

I glance around the room, trying to determine what I should be doing. First off, Miss Martian's in trouble. I gather ectoplasm in my hand and shoot it out, hitting it smack in the back. It juts to one side, Miss Martian helping it slam into a wall, spraying vulnerable parts.

As I watch, however, it starts to recall it's broken parts, rebuilding. What in the heck?

I send another blast at it, this time with a little ice, and it freezes a bit to the wall, slowing it's rebuild process. Then I address the other members. Next person in need of help looks to be Superboy. He's got a pile of them on him.

I throw several blasts at several different targets, very pleased when most hit their mark. Doesn't slow many down, though. These things are resilient. What makes them work?

Superboy smashes several down, and I follow behind him, freezing their parts. They're just machines… There has to be a specific part of them that rebuilds. If I can figure out where it is, we can stop their regeneration and keep them down.

How would I do that?

Trying to puzzle it out, I grab Artemis and Kid Flash where they stand, Kid just barely catching an airborne Artemis. He was just about to ask if she was okay, which would've resulted in them being squashed by two different machines running at them.

Now that we're intangible, the two machines crash together. I freeze them.

I release the couple, who immediately run off towards another swarm that's crowding Aqualad.

How…

My head pounds very suddenly, a flash of several images rushing by. A school building, white with a flagpole, named Caspar. A swirling vortex, green but hinting a little at purple, sparks flying around it. It belongs to me, to my family... An image of myself in a mirror, one hand placed on the glass, an expression of horrified wonder on my face.

Finally, a computer. I rush into it, become part of the electronics, become an avatar in a video game…

That's it! I can overshadow machines!

I'll work out how I figured that out later.

I go intangible and rush into the nearest machine.

The feeling inside is… strange. The programming fights against me like a soul would in a real person's body. The green energy is wholly familiar, it runs through the entire body, feels like… Like me. Green energy… Ugh, I'm such an _idiot!_ This is ectoplasm!

It runs throughout the entire body, pulling it together. I can feel artificial ectoplasm at my chest, hands and feet. Probably the blue stuff.

My vision flickers, identifying intruders in both heat and enhanced vision. I ignore the display and shoot at the other robots, to much more effect. These blasters pack a punch!

"Phantom?" Robin asks, several blades in each hand.

I wave.

He grins, throwing his blades into the robots, which detonate. "Any weaknesses we should be aware of?"

"It's ectoplasm!" I shout in my robotic voice. "That's what these things are powered with."

"Well, yeah," he responds, withdrawing his pole and extending it. He launches with it, kicking into one robot and jumping off before it can grab him.

Dang, he already knew that? Why did no one tell me? Whatever.

"Real ectoplasm keeps the whole thing together, like magnets! The fake stuff is used to shoot. As far as I can tell, no off switch." As I talk, I shoot and punch any robot within range, as Robin electrifies his pole and slams it down on any vulnerable spot, mostly the joints.

"Okay! The robots you froze are starting to break through the ice, so let's take the robot you have possessed and study it back at the Cave! Any trackers?"

"Not that I can tell," I reply.

 _Fall back, we've got everything,_ Robin tells the team.

 _Easier said than done,_ snaps Kid, just before getting shot and slamming into a wall. He backs away, dizzy.

 _To the middle of the room,_ I input. I watch the middle as the Team starts to converge closer there. Robin flies past me to some robots behind me, foot extended.

"To the middle," I shout at him.

"Um, you'll get pummeled!"

"Um, I'm one of them, remember?"

He stops a second before dashing for the middle. I can't resist a short laugh before moving towards the middle myself. Robin calls in the fact that I'm the robot so nobody kills me, and I land right in the middle of the back to back circle of teens.

I release the robot, careful to turn off it's vision first, then fly right above it. Pushing my hands up, I release a wave of ectoplasm, covering our spot in a shield. It's green, but flickers blue and back as I force more and more ice energy into it. Then, with a grunt, I shove it away and it coats the entire room of robots with ice-ectoplasm.

Now pretty much spent, I fly lower and back into the robot, switching back on the vision. It couldn't see, so thankfully it didn't flip out.

 _Wow, they're just statues now,_ Kid Flash comments, poking one. It glows a little brighter and he jumps back. _Let's head out before they break through._

We all climb into the freight elevator.

 _Where did all the people go?_ I wonder.

 _Safe rooms on sublevel one,_ supplies Robin, and I don't ask how he knows that.

As soon as we are up on the ground level, Superboy throws all care to the wind and punches down the nearest wall. Miss Martian had called the ship and it was directly outside, and we clamber inside.

I leave the robot and it sits dully, vision off, sitting in a chair that materializes.

Robin grins. "We- OH CRAP THE VIALS!"

I glare at him. "I knew you'd forget, jerk. Luckily, my duplicate took care of it." On cue, my duplicate that had been floating outside the compound returned to me, bringing the vials. My copy hands me them, sticks his tongue out at Robin, and then I absorb him into my core.

Aqualad shakes his head with a grin. "Ready or not, you carried this entire mission."

I give him a wry smile. "Just wait until we run into an enemy with anti-ghost tech. Then I'm screwed."

"Regardless, being on your first mission, it was a success. Heroism suits you."

"Speaking of heroism," Miss Martian starts. "Vision said you might get some memories back. Did you?"

My smile slips into a frown, trying to pinpoint exactly what the memories were. "Er… Some, I guess. Fragments. But it's like looking at someone else's pictures. No context." The Team give me hopeful smiles. "Oh, except for the one where I went into a computer. It gave me the reminder that I can overshadow machines."

"Can you do so to other computers?" Aqualad asks.

I shrug. "I've never tried. Or maybe I have… I don't know."

They understand and drop the subject.

The girls in the ship start chatting about the mission, the boys reviewing their tactics and showing battle scars (mostly Kid Flash and Robin) and I feel horribly out of place. I flip up my hood, deciding to try and focus on the memories that had flashed by me.

The mirror one confused me the most. I picture it, my face a twisted mixture of bewilderment and terror, my hand feeling the glass like it's unreal. Eyes green, hair white, skin glowing. To my memory self, it's unfamiliar. Faintly-in the memory of course-I hear my name, a hushed whisper, almost a question.

The longer I focus, the more I see. I turn from the mirror towards the whisper, see Tucker and… a girl…

The memory disintegrates, my focus snapping as I try to recall the girl's name. I can picture certain qualities about her, dark hair a short choppy mess, a ponytail at the top of her head. Dark makeup, but not a lot of it. Purple… purple eyes…

Amo?

"Danny?" Robin asks.

I wave him off, still concentrating.

If this girl in my memories is the shade that's been haunting me… What does that mean? Wait, didn't Tucker say only he and Sam were with me when I-

Ugh, this whole thing is hurting my head!

"Danny! What did I say about losing yourself?" Robin demands, flipping up my hood. The mountain is coming into view, the rest of the team is staring at us.

Every thread slips from my grasp and I scowl at Robin. As well-meaning as he was trying to be… "Robin," I hiss. "I wasn't thinking about _that_ , I was trying to figure out the fragments from before."

His indignant look evaporates into an interested one. "Find anything coherent?"

"Maybe, guess I'll never know," I seethe, shoving my hood back on.

I hear him shrug.

Miss Martian pipes up, "He was only trying to help, Phantom."

I flick my hood back again. "I know." My voice is light again. I've already moved on from losing the memory. It was hurting my head anyway. "But if Robin never does wrong, his ego might _never_ deflate."

Robin scowls from his seat while the others laugh.

"At least I have an ego," he mutters.

"What kind of comeback is that?" I ask, smirking again as Miss Martian lands her ship.

He jumps up. "I don't know! I'm tired and it caught me off guard, okay!" He stomps out, leaving us all peering out at him in interest. Then he salutes us with a half-smile. "See you guys tomorrow, kay?"

He runs off.

Kid Flash chuckles. "I swear that kid is bipolar."

Superboy tilts his head. "ADHD, maybe."

"No, ADHD period," corrects Zatanna. "It's probably a circus thing."

"Circus thing?" I ask.

"Oh, sorry." She gives me a sympathetic smile. "Secret identity stuff. Batman wouldn't let us tell you. Actually, Kid, Kaldur and I are the only ones who know."

I shrug. "Okay."

"Actually," continues Kid with a smile, hoping up from his seat. "Bats said not to tell you any of our identities! We had a mole problem before. But I don't think you're a mole, personally. Weird, perhaps, because _ghosts_ , but-"

Artemis slams her elbow into his stomach and he coughs, ending his rant. We all start heading down the ramp and back into the Cave.

"What he means to say, most of us don't care. He's Wally."

"And you already know my earth name," Miss Martian-M'gann- continues. "And Artemis, Kaldur and Zatanna."

"Conner," grunts Superboy.

"How about you?" Wally chirps, already over the whole elbow in the gut thing.

"What about me?" I ask, confused.

"What's your identity?"

"Um," I start. Should I tell them about my other side? He's still so weak, and I don't know anything about him anyway… Does he even have a name?

"He's dead, stupid," Artemis snaps.

"I meant before he died," he defends, hands raised.

"Oh! Yeah, I have no idea." I give a sheepish smile and they all nod, understanding again. "But, um… I think I died in something my family made."

Wally grimaces. "Ouch."

I shrug, nonchalant.

After that, the conversation disintegrated as the two couples went off together and Kaldur went for the sea access, leaving just Zatanna and I.

She is right across the hall from me, down the hall from M'gann and Su- Conner. Apparently they're right across from each other because they were the first, and Zatanna's away from them because they're… a couple.

I followed her advice to be away from them.

We walk in silence.

"Do you like Robin?" I ask as we walk down the hall.

"If I told you, I'd kill you." Short and sweet, and completely terrifying.

"Huh."

I wave to her and go into my room, her in her own.

My room is the same as apparently all the other rooms. Bed, bureau, dresser, TV, bedside table, some shelves and a couple chairs. Bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet.

I haven't changed it much, but that's not to say Tucker and Jazz haven't. They put books on my shelves, some clothes in my dresser, brought some ghost tech. Only a couple things, a thermos (?) and a couple guns.

"In case you want to play around with them. You did all the time, before," Jazz had told me. They lay untouched.

I kinda wish I did have a diary or journal or something, just to give myself a preface. Jazz and Tucker both mentioned that they had one, but I don't think I want theirs. They have different memories than I do.

I slip out of my hero clothes and into pajamas, going to land on my bed.

Do I even want my memories back? If this Sam person meant something to me, wouldn't it be so much more painful to know her and miss her? What about who I was? I sounded like a hormonal idiot. Selfish, popularity hungry, irritable and arrogant. This is my chance to be the full hero I am.

 _No._

No? Who…

Oh. Shoulda guessed.

It's Amo.

"Are you Sam?" I ask it-her. The shadow moves once around my bed, a circle. That's not an answer. I frown. It-She circles again. I shake my head, not understanding. "Once for yes, twice for no," I direct. "Are you Sam?"

One circle.

"You are! Okay, where are you? No wait, that's dumb. Do you know where you are?"

Two circles.

I lean back, stuck again. "Do you…"

Two knocks at my door. "Danny?" M'gann. I glance once at Amo, who stays, before calling M'gann inside.

The door slides back, revealing both M'gann and Superboy in pajamas. "Who were you talking to?" Super- _Conner_ (why do I keep doing that?) asks, scanning my room.

I point to Amo.

They both move closer. Look at the bed, then at me. "Danny…" murmurs M'gann, her forehead creased with both worry and a frown. "There's nothing there."

I look back down. Amo… Sam… She's right… right there…

No, she's gone.

And I'm crazy.

* * *

 **Kay, we good? I hope so!**

 **Alright, so now I actually have to write another chapter because this was my last backup...**

 **Eh, worth it!**


	28. Chapter 28

Bruce and I have one of our rare breakfasts together. Granted, he's scribbling on a paper beside him, but he can do that and hold a conversation with me, so I'm good.

We talk mostly about me, because I carry the conversation, but he sometimes offers something mildly interesting about himself every once and a while.

I'm giving him a vivid description about our mission last night and about Phantom's powers, and he listens with interest, occasionally interrupting for more detail. He knows Phantom's powers based off of what Jazz and Tucker told him, but I don't think he really believed him. I list off as many as I remember Danny actually using, and he looks mildly impressed.

"Let me guess. You already have a contingency plan for when he goes rogue?" I ask, using his response as an opportunity to eat more of Alfred's heavenly crepes.

He's silent for a moment, before, "Tucker gave me a containment device," he responds, distantly.

"Why are you so against Danny?" I demand suddenly. "I mean, I know you're mister paranoia, but seriously."

"He had an alternate timeline. He's been controlled before. And we still don't know who he was before he died. His powers are extensive and could easily become a problem for the League, and he doesn't remember anything. That he's telling us."

That is quite the list to examine. But he's so… _genuine_. "I think his memories are the key to everything," I mutter. "The ectoplasm, the Guys in White, how ghost tech is getting over to light facilities. But I don't think he's going to betray us or anything like that. He's… he's lost. You know how good I am at reading people."

"Red Arrow was a mole, but there was no conscious betrayal," Bruce counters.

"So… we could always test him." He gives an interested look. "Well we can't watch him. He already expressed he hates that. But if we give him a vital piece of information, and it gets out, we know he's a mole."

"Like?"

I think for a moment. "Maybe the location of the Justice League HQ."

He narrows his eyes.

"Not the real one, obviously. A fake one."

He nods, approving. "But that still doesn't help with any other missing factors."

"Like who he was," I muse. "Jazz and Tucker usually shut down about that. Redirect the questions. Do they know, then?"

"Tucker was with him when he died," he contemplates. "Which means he knows who he was."

"Why does it matter?"

"Why would it matter, unless they were hiding it from us?"

Huh. That's a good point. I just hum an "I don't know" before continuing my breakfast. "I really do like them, though," I mention. "All three of them."

I catch a hint of smile. "It's refreshing to have them. They fight very different from the rest of the team."

"And act," I mumble around a mouth of food. Alfred catches this and chastises me. "Sorry, Alfred."

Bruce's phone wails his Batman signal, and he sighs, withdrawing it. His gaze remains stoic, before, "This is a mission for your team, Dick. It's in Amity Park."

"Amity Park? Why did you get an alert from them? Is it huge?"

He shakes his head. "A city-wide disaster alert went out, but hasn't spread to the other cities. I'm guessing this is a ghost related problem. Once I realized how big these problems could get after Phantom couldn't stop them, I wired all alerts directly to the Bat signal."

I hop up from my chair. "Alright, then! Maybe this'll jog some memories."

I rush through a costume change, a call to my school to tell them how very sick I am (it's a Saturday, but I have gymnastics practice), and through the Zeta Beam, right into the Cave. Batman called ahead, and they're all rushing around, getting ready, except for Phantom, who floats in a corner, hood up and cape cinched closed around him.

I ask Tucker, who's shoving stuff in his backpack, what's up.

"I asked him that, too, but he just turned invisible until I left," he replies, zipping shut his backpack.

"What are you doing? Coming with?" I ask.

"Yes! This is home turf."

"What's everyone going to say when Tucker Foley is hanging with a bunch of heroes?" I ask.

"Who's hanging with heroes? I'm a concerned citizen with my earbuds in." To emphasize, he pops in the bio-set, turning on a portable battery pack to keep it powered. "Ghosts are my thing, I know 'em all. Well, third best, but best we've got. I know most weaknesses."

"Cool."

He runs towards the Beam. "Gotta go first, make sure we don't appear at the same time!" The Beam announces his departure as he disappears in light.

I go over to Phantom. "What's up?" I ask.

He disappears.

I sigh, then walk away.

"M'gann, what's up with Danny?" I ask, slightly annoyed.

She frowns. "He… um… He had a bad night."

"Nightmares?" He got them sometimes. Okay, every night. Mostly he keeps them on the down low, but one or two nights have popped up that really scared the other three occupants of the Cave.

She nods. "Among other things. He was talking to what he thought was Sam."

I wince. "Nothing there?"

She nods.

"Ouch."

"Maybe his old home town will cheer him up," she suggests optimistically.

Well… I hope so.

Phantom appears in the bio ship just as we're about to go search for him, still silently hidden in his cape. Wally tries twice to draw him into conversation; both times he's ignored. I watch carefully to make sure he isn't drawing into himself the way Jazz warns me about, but he's just morosely drawn in.

After a while, I lose interest and chat with Conner.

"I introduce you to Amity Park," crows M'gann after a while. "Home of Jazz, Tucker, and local hero Danny Phantom."

This draws him from his hood. He peeks out the window, eyes searching for something familiar. He narrows his eyes at the sign, but otherwise takes it in with no recognition.

"Aaaaand there's our ghost problem," continues Artemis. "Wow, that thing is _huge_."

A huge man shaped creature is standing in the middle of the city, made of goop. I sigh. I hate goop monsters. They make an absolute _mess_. Even better, there are goop monsters in the streets, little baby ones. Yelch.

The team seems to agree, looking at the monster with disgust and annoyance.

The ship is in camouflage, so we get a minute to assess the situation. I ask Kaldur what he wants to do.

"Divide and conquer," he responds after a few moments. "Kid, Robin and Artemis, you're on civilian control. The rest of us will take him head on. Use the ghost technology Aparato and Vision gave us."

I smile. I've been wanting to use this green glowy staff since it was given to me. I don't wait for any kind of harness; buildings, grappling hook. Just like Gotham. I jump through the hole M'gann makes, followed by Artemis.

My grappling hook latches on and I swing forward. An arrow whizzs past me and buries itself into a brick building, Artemis following, using her bow and cable as a zipline. Wally, little sucker he is, is released from his harness on the top of a building nearby.

With a pointed laugh at Wally, I release my line and land on an overhang of a building, glancing around for civilians.

A couple gooey monsters have cornered a couple high school kids in an alley, so I head there first. I have to fumble with the stick thing a bit before the energy shoots out, but when it does, it only takes a few swings to reduce the monsters to puddles of goo.

"Are you the Batman boy?" the girl asks in a thick accent. She's really pretty. Like… really. Too bad I have a thing for redheads. And Zatanna. And… You get the point.

"Robin," I correct.

"I'm Paulina," she announces. She flashes her long lashes and gazes down at the puddles of goo. "You saved me from that monster!" She gazes up. Am I being flirted with? She's like, two or three years older than I am.

"Us," grumbles the boy beside her. He's wearing a letterman jacket (in this heat?) and a nasty frown.

"Um, great! Well…" I turn, face to face with a group of monsters. "I better fight these guys… So… yeah."

I knock the side of my green staff into the first monster, flipping over the puddle he makes. With several fancy maneuvers, I get the entire dozen, clearing the alley way. My head buzzes with the voices of my teammates, suddenly flipping on as M'gann establishes the link.

"Is that Fenton Tech?" asks the girl Paulina from behind me.

"Yep." I don't turn around, motion for them to follow me out into the street.

"Where'd you get that? They don't really sell anymore. Something about their s-"

Before she can finish whatever rant she was going on, a bundle of light and goo flies right into the middle of the road several yards down. I rush over, followed by the two teens.

The big bubble of goop bursts apart as Danny pops his head through, shaking out the gel. I wave, and he grimaces, exiting the stuff with intangibility.

"It's the GHOST BOY!" cries Paulina from behind me. Her voice is starting to annoy me. "You've been missing so _long!_ Do you remember _me_?" She places a hand on her chest, her lashes lowered again.

He tilts his head. "Actually, no. I don't remember much at all."

She frowns, then brightens. "I can remind you! You have this ridiculously huge crush on me, and-"

"What?" sputters the other guy. "No he-"

She lands a sharp elbow into his gut, then clasps her hands together as the guy stumbles back. She smiles brightly. "He's just jealous!"

"Ummm… Robin! I'm gonna…" He points to the monster.

"Yeah, you do that. Ice that boy up," I respond.

He wastes a few seconds to look at me with a strange expression. "You freakin' weirdo," he mutters before disappearing from view.

I look at the Paulina girl in question.

"What?" she squeaks. "He's the love of my life!"

I try not to roll my eyes. Wait, I'm wearing a mask!

I take a minute to roll my eyes.

"Why's that?" I deadpan.

"He saved my life," she reveals dramatically. "Several times."

"And so you love him," I continue in the same dead tone.

"Of course!" She sighs dramatically. "He's perfect…" Another sigh. "So strong, brave, handsome… And he's been gone for a whole year!"

The guy beside her looks annoyed and slightly… jealous? I roll my eyes for the billionth time since I began talking to her. Beautiful, yes, bordering on goddess, really. But about as empty and shallow as a large pool with an inch of water.

I swing my glowing staff at a couple more monsters that popped up from alleys or came out of buildings, clearing the way further. "Does this happen a lot?" I ask when Paulina starts bemoaning the fact that ectoplasm is a pain to get out of clothes.

"Only all the time," the guy, who Paulina had named Dash during one of her rambles, supplies. "More now, though, since Phantom has been gone. Where has he been? With you?"

I shrug. "Only for a little while. Maybe…" Okay, he came five days before the mission I got my concussion, while I had it was another day, and then three days after we did training, was that yesterday? Yeah. "Ten days."

"So where _has_ he been?"

"Don't know." I mean, I do, but I don't know who these people even are. "Do you guys have a safe place or something?"

Paulina launches into this huge story, and I get lost about two words in. Dash points which way.

I take another minute for myself to roll my eyes again. Then I lead them hurriedly down the street, watching the escalating fight nervously. This ghost thing is getting enraged at the distractions, mostly Danny. I catch sight of him being thrown by another glob.

I follow Dash's directions and after a few corner turns, see that the "safe place" is a glowing green dome over an entire city block. It originates from a monstrous spaceship-looking thing on top of a brick building.

"Holy…" I mutter, trying to take in the sight of it. It has a neon sign proclaiming the package of weirdness "Fenton Works".

Several groups of people mill around under the dome, including Jazz, who is glancing around. When she sees me, she smiles, but quickly looks away to avoid suspicion.

When I deliver the two teens under the dome, which allows all three of us through, the entire crowd has its attention on us. Or more specifically, on me.

"It that Robin? From Gotham?" shouts one, and the entire crowd starts chattering.

"EVERYONE," screeches Paulina, and like magic the entire crowd quiets. "It's not important who this Batboy is-"

"Robin!" I interject, but deflate when no one pays me any attention. "Seriously. It's not that hard. Nothing like Batman."

"Danny Phantom is back!" she cries dramatically, and the crowd starts chattering excitedly again. She turns to me when the crowd loses interest in her. I can see Jazz maneuvering around groups trying to subtly get closer to me, but it's slow progress. "You know," she continues, "Danny and I would be a perfect couple. Phantom, of course, Danny Phantom. Does he ever talk about me?"

"Why did you emphasize Phantom?" I ask half-heartedly, keeping one eye on Jazz and looking for Tucker with the other. He just told me over the mind link that he had spotted me and was headed over.

"Wouldn't want to confuse Danny Phantom with that loser boy, Danny Fenton," she chatters.

My full attention is instantly on her. She tries to continue, but I cut her off. "Danny Fenton? Who's he?"

"Just a nobody." She tosses her hair over her shoulder. I watch Jazz's progress again, silently urging Paulina to cut the useless prattle and tell me about the apparent relative of Jazz she had failed to mention. "He's a loser, of course. Son of those incompetent" Wow, four syllables. I'm impressed. "Ghost hunters."

She tries to continue again, about the ghosts, but I need the conversation on the Fenton boy. "Any relation to Jazz Fenton?"

"Duh. His sister." She narrows her eyes as I continue to interrupt.

"Has he been missing?"

She nods. "Almost a year. Same as his loser friend. And my love."

"Her name?" Sam Manson?

She doesn't question the fact that she didn't give a gender.

"I don't remember her name. She's unpopular."

"But you remembered Danny's?"

"Because he's not Danny Phantom." She sniffs, as if disgusted. "No confusion. I need to spread the word that my love is back. Goodbye, BatBoy!"

I don't correct her.

When she mentioned the name I'd put it together, but hearing dates and people line up in my head confirmed it. Danny's missing identity, Jazz's personal relation to him, her access to his stuff…

Fenton is Phantom.

Fenton is Phantom.

And because I still don't believe it, I say it again.

Fenton is Phantom.

Now there's only one more question. (Well, a billion, but you get the point.)

Who in the heck is Danny Fenton?

* * *

 **Hi! Sorry it took a while to get this out. Like I said before, all my backups were gone.**

 **I don't know when I'll be able to post again. I'm going to camp, and I'll be back Thursday, so probably after that. We'll see; I don't have anything written.**

 **Also, I was going to make Danny's identity a huge surprise, but when I put Paulina in there, there's no way she** _wouldn't_ **blurt out his existence(which, by the way, is unknown by the entire Team for a reason that'll be explained later.)**

 **This is a little head's up that Danny Fenton is about to be reintroduced. I'll put a little more filler in there to bond the Team and Danny before the Unveiling happens, but until then...**

 **Peace!**


	29. Chapter 29

This monstrous pile of goo is stressing me out. It just doesn't slow down! I wish I had all the memories of fighting, at least. Well, if I'm wishing for stuff, I should probably wish for all my memories back. And maybe wish that I'm not crazy.

In addition to being crazy with my fictional Amo/Sam, I also was up all night with night terrors, so I'm running on an hour (if I'm lucky, which I'm not) of sleep and very little clue of how my powers even work, beyond ectoblasts and flying. And the ice thing.

With that thought, I focus my ice and use that on the beast instead of plain ectoblasts. It freezes effectively enough, but the beast just sheds the frozen part and replaces it with more. I frown.

Aqualad swirls water around it, trying to dilute the ectoplasm, while M'gann floats, eyes white, hand extended. I can't tell what she's doing, telekinesis or telepathy, but it doesn't matter. It's not working.

Then there's Superboy, who's opting to punch it. Not really helping, but whatever. Zatanna throws spells at it. Some fire, some ice, some unbinding. All unhelpful.

I manage to hold a shield against an attack the thing sends at the floating M'gann, and then again against Zatanna. I also pull out Superboy when he almost gets sucked in.

Come on, memories, memories…

Holding my hand up, green energy surrounding the rake in front of me. It moves. As a plus, it moves where I actually wanted it to! The ghost I'd given it to gives me an annoyed look, but grabs it. I bite a sandwich.

I shake my head. That was the weirdest out-of-context memory ever.

Alright. Give me another.

Tucker and I are playing video games, hands a blur on a joystick and computer keyboard. I notice my hands are ungloved, not glowing. Fingernails, skin and natural tan lines. That's not my ghost hand.

We're playing some game, and my memory self is completely absorbed in the graphics. Our avatars jump and flip, shooting guns and placing bombs. We dive into a store, hiding from a foe much greater than both of us. Safe. Until a grenade rolls in and we both dissolve in a burst of light.

These aren't helping!

And neither am I, which means the memories slow to a stop.

I fly towards the top of the monster, shoving a shield out of me, trying to trap the entire thing. To my ultimate surprise, it works. The thing is trapped, at least for now. It roars, crashing against the dome. I grit my teeth, my power straining against the onslaught.

 _You okay?_ Superboy asks from the ground.

 _Yeah,_ I respond, pushing more energy into the shield as it rears for another attack. _Quick, figure something out. This isn't going to last much longer._

 _Fenton Thermos,_ Tucker announces.

 _Got it_ , Wally continues a moment later. _En route to the big blob contained with the shield._

My power rushes out of me in a torrent, but it's kind of like pouring a watering can. A steady stream, not many hitches, but the water's running out. I grunt as the blob desperately tries to escape my shield, pushing up against all sides.

The stream of power shudders and pours out of me faster, too fast. Ugh, hurry, KF! Don't you have super speed? Isn't that your thing?

Memories rush through me, past me, and I try to focus on them and the shield at the same time.

I've had two nightmares, maybe. I almost spiraled out of control once. I'm imagining a Sam ghost thing. But that's the extent of the scars I've maintained from my time with the GIW. My scars are fading rapidly, and you can barely see the ragged marks on my back or the burns around my neck, wrists and ankles anymore. The incisions on my torso are still an angry red/pink, but still, the stitches are already removed.

I almost forgot my trauma because of these new people, and it's my nature to ignore bad things and try to move on. I've moved on too fast, though. Maybe I never moved on and just shoved those thoughts in a corner of my mind. Whatever the case, it's back.

It all just sort of pushes on me at once.

Everything.

The mental and physical torture. The fact that I want to be this person I'm not sure I am anymore, that all these people are searching for him in me, and I'm not him. I don't have his memories, his attitude, his life. I'm creating a shade in my head from guilt of a person I don't know. I'm joining a team of superheroes that help everyone else, the world, when I can't even help myself?

And I'm my supposed hometown, fighting a monster I've probably battled before, and failing at it. I'm using all my energy on a shield? What is this?

Who is Danny? Who am _I_?

I realize three things at once. One, my shield is faltering. Two, my power (or lack thereof) is starting to hurt my core. And three, I can't breathe. My vision starts to swim, but not from the lack of oxygen.

My shield is staying up only because I hadn't shut it off. My power continues to empty, but it's pretty much gone, yet I can't seem to stop the flow, even though now it's a kind of trickle.

 _Got the Thermos! Phantom, drop the shield!_

I can't see Kid Flash. I can _see_ , but the image isn't reaching my head.

 _Phantom?_

I can't tell who said it.

 _Phantom!_

My shield bursts apart, but not because of me. The shock doesn't register either. What's happening? I'm not working right. Am I still in the air? I don't remember falling or landing. What? Is someone talking to me?

There's a ground underneath my feet. Or is it my hands? Am I on my knees?

My head's getting light. All of a sudden, something hits my back and, surprised, I suck in a lungful of air, shocking my system with the sudden intake. A voice shouts in my head, but not at me. At Robin, I think? Maybe. My vision getting dark and spotty from the oxygen.

One breath lets me know how much I need oxygen, and I suck in gasps of air. My core is pulsing too fast, I feel too hot. Why is this jumpsuit itchy? Urgh, my head! Why can't I see or hear?

I panic. It's dark, my hearing is just a faint ringing, these people won't stop talking, I'm too hot, my head hurts, I'm shaking it's cold!

My name, it's being shouted, or is it only me trying to remind myself who I am? I want to scream, but I don't have the air. I have too much air, not enough, it's hot, am I cold? I hear screaming, myself, screaming, smiles, chattering, blood, metal, lights and immobility, pain fire screaming something sweet, where's the ice yelling pleading, a light in my eyes white mist why am I the only one where are all the other… ghosts?

Am I the only ghost? …

Why... am I the only. one.. they're… interested… in?..

Why ...Phantom… special...zz…

* * *

Panic trails after me lazily, swirling in the pits of my mind, waiting for me to stop running away from it. That's how I spend oblivion. Running. I try to put distance between me and my demons, but it's hard to escape something that's everywhere. Something that is the air I breathe, the ground I stand on, the place I exist.

Still, there's a certain peace. If I'm running from it, I'm not being overtaken by it. Right? Is that how it works? I can't quite remember. Slowly, the impenetrable darkness subsides and gives me an option to escape it.

I can hear faint voices, and I focus on them to try and recenter my swimming head.

"Sure he will. Lucky for us." The words are light, but the tone isn't. "How did you not see this happening?"

"I told you, he and I were not only separate, but he was in the air! There's no way I could've guessed."

"Join the team! It'll be a big help!"

"Shut up. It was a big help. There are other factors we're not seeing here."

"I can see a pretty big one right in front of me."

"Stop."

...

"He said stop." Girl's voice.

"We did stop."

"Yeah, fighting, not glaring." Other girl's voice.

"Danny?" Another girl's voice. My eyelids flutter at the mention of my name, breaking my feigned sleep. I slowly pry my eyes open, straining against their weight. Now that they're open, and I'm officially awake, I feel like a truck hit me. Maybe a plane. My head hurts.

Blurry shapes swirl into sharper lines, slowly focusing in the light. The entire team is crowded around my bed, probably all arguing. Tucker and Robin, the main fighter's, stand at either of my hands, sending scathing glares over the bed at each other every once in a while.

I put a hand to my head, shielding from the light. M'gann, who was floating right beside my head, looks at the light switch and it dims. "How are you feeling?" she asks softly.

"Thirsty," I respond immediately. It wasn't intended as a diversion, but if it was, it worked quite nicely. Kid Flash leaves the bedside and is back in a couple seconds with a full glass of water. I take it and lift it to my mouth, eyeing the entire team watching me. I lower the glass. "Um."

They all look away like clockwork.

I drink my glass of water and set the cup on the nightstand beside me, noting that this is the medbay again.

"What happened?" I ask, realizing I don't remember much after the shield except hazy memories of panic.

"We could ask you the same question," Aqualad remarks.

"But he did ask us first," Robin cuts in, then leans a little closer to me. "You were holding a shield in Amity, if you remember that?" I nod. "Well. Wally asked you three times to drop the shield, and then you just kind of did, but not in response to him. You did this slow drop to the ground, floating lower and lower, as the monster escaped the shield and attacked us. M'gann threw you out of the way when it was obvious you were going to float right into the path of the monster. I went over as soon as I could, and you weren't breathing. So I smacked you, and then you started again. I had to go back out, because the team needed me.

"When I got back, this time with more of the team, after we defeated the ghost thing. You were full on panicking. We tried to snap you out of it, even doused you a little with water. M'gann tried to get to you telepathically-"

She shook her head. "Too much panic. I couldn't get through it."

"So I eventually just sedated you. Sorry. We couldn't reach you."

"I felt that," I reply, remembering smelling something sweet. Then I look down, hiding my eyes and watching my hands fidget with the edge of the blanket. "Sorry," I mumble.

"It's okay. I'm surprised it took this long. But what happened?"

I don't answer Robin at first. "I'm not sure," I say at last. "I just kinda felt everything at once, I guess. The GIW, being here, and the fact that I'm imagining myself a Sam."

"What?" Jazz, this time.

"Guess I can add schizophrenic to my list," I joke weakly.

"But… Wait. What?" I look once at her confusion before she starts talking again. "Schizophrenia? I don't think you have that. It'd be closer to Survivor's Guilt, maybe a shadow of a memory trying to come loose."

"I wouldn't be surprised if I did! I mean, where am I at now? PSTD-"

"PTSD," she corrects.

"Amnesia, DP-"

"DP _is_ you, you _have_ PD." I give her a look that clearly says I don't care if I get it wrong and am annoyed that she's correcting me, but she just shrugs. "Panic Disorder."

"And who knows what else! Might as well add another. That way we can cover all the bases." I wave my hands in a baseball diamond for emphasis.

Jazz sighs. "Danny, something like this takes time to figure out. Nobody's blaming you or expecting you to suddenly be okay."

The Team looks like they agree.

"But I'm sick of not being okay," I complain. "Why can't it all just go away? I feel like if I got my memories back, the rest of the stuff would just kind of poof."

Tucker raises an eyebrow. "Poof?"

"Poof," I confirm, nodding my head once.

"Well get that thought out of your head because it's never going to happen," Jazz lectures. "But if you want it to happen faster, you're just going to have to confront it."

"Confront it…" I trail off. I turn to M'gann. "Miss M, beam me in."

She tilts her head. "Beam you in… where?"

I tap my head.

"That's not what I meant," Jazz groans.

"Get you inside your own head?" M'gann asks incredulously, as if Jazz never spoke. "That's not possible."

"What? Yes it is."

"You go inside your own head when someone else goes in. That's how it works. We'd have to go in for you."

Wally rubs his hands. "Let's do this."

"No!" shouts Robin. Everyone turns to him. He looks deadly serious, and that look scares the crap out of me. "I'm going in. But alone."

Everyone argues at once, and I look around at the people with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

It's Aqualad that calms them all with a shout, and they all silence. "Robin, why do you think that?"

"Because. First of all, the memories we will see are the ones he remembers, mainly the days at the GIW. Neither Tucker or Jazz should see that." They protest, but even I can see that they kind of agree. He cuts them off. "And he knows and trusts me the best. His mind might shut down if there are too many unknown presences in there all prying."

It makes sense. I almost ask if he should bring someone else, so there are two, but he gives me a look through his mask that prompts me to let him handle this.

M'gann looks around with uncertainty. "Are you sure?"

I nod. Robin nods. The team reluctantly agrees with only a few more arguments. When M'gann agrees, Robin grins and flips onto the bed next to me. "Beam me up!" She still looks reluctant. "Miss M, before we change our minds!"

Her eyes glow white.

Nothing happens. I glance around, confused. "What's supposed-"

My world is swept away in a swirl of green.

* * *

 **Hi! I'm back! Barely realized I was gone, huh?**


	30. Chapter 30

"I'm confused," I announce the second the white fades from my vision and I take in Danny's mindscape.

It looks like Amity Park, but in the winter. Snow coats the buildings, and random ice blocks are scattered around. FentonWorks, the place Jazz-and apparently Danny-live is covered in ice so much that I can barely make out the fact that it is FentonWorks.

Actually, everything is coated in ice. Everything but a couple random things. The school, for instance, is clear of ice on the very front and the flagpole is unfrozen, but past the front wall it's frozen like everything else.

The weirdest part is the green sky. It swirls green and purple, random doors and ice blocks floating around. There is no sun, but it's plenty light.

I wander around, looking for mind-Danny. As I walk, I take note of thicker ice at some places and thinner at others. I wonder where myself is. I'd be a memory here, right?

After a while, I call Danny's name. No response. I groan in frustration as I search streets. Where is this dude? "Danny!"

"What?"

I turn to the voice, watching as Danny stumbles from an alley down the street. "Are you okay?"

He rubs his head. "I think so."

"What is this?" I ask, gesturing around.

He shrugs. I expected nothing else.

"Let's start with what you remember before the GIW," I suggest. He nods, and leads me up into the sky, taking my hand and floating up.

He floats to a seemingly random door and pulls it open. Instantly, I'm looking in a reflection, my hair white, my eyes green. My expression is horrified but relieved, curious. I turn when I hear my-Danny's- name being called, and see Sam and Tucker, Sam's hands hiding her mouth and Tucker terrified.

I shake my head in confusion when I find myself back with Danny outside the door. "What was that?"

"My memory," he answers, confusion lacing his words. "Didn't you ask to see them?"

"Oh, I get it now. Experience the memory, right." He has a strange expression on his face, as if trying to figure me out, before taking my wrist again and floating me over to another door. He shows me an amount of memories that I wouldn't need more than my hands to count. Six, maybe seven? Is that all?

"Do you have the memories now?" Danny asks. I nod.

Even though I already know the answer, I ask him if there are any more.

"No."

Yep. I was right.

"Alright, bring me to the very first memory you remember," I demand. He looks at me blankly. "You know, in the GIW where-"

He holds up a hand to stop me. "Yeah, I know what you mean, but there's no way."

"Why not?"

"If you experience my memory, you'll experience the pain. It's almost as bad remembering it as the experience itself. There's no way I'm letting you do that."

"I can take it," I argue.

"No, you can't. For one, I have a higher pain tolerance because I'm a ghost, and with an ice core. I'm not letting you feel that with your own pain tolerance." Subconsciously, his hand falls to his chest.

"How else do you want to figure it out?"

He grows silent. I smirk, and he throws me a glare. "There's still no way. But maybe…" He floats over to another door. "This is the one-I think- where I made the choice to lose my memories. Maybe." His expression grows clouded with confusion.

I go to open it, but he blocks my hand. "I go in first."

Reluctantly, I withdraw and watch as he grimaces at the door. "I really hope I'm right," he mutters before yanking open the door. He's sucked inside. True to his word, I wait as the door closes, but then immediately open it after it's closed. What? He said he'd go in first, not that I shouldn't follow.

I'm in the exact same place. But it's a little different. The ice is gone, even if the snow is still there. People mill around in the city area and weird ghost things fly through the strange sky, and with a jolt I realize that the ice blocks are forgotten people/ghosts.

I look down at my hand, realizing that my hand is gloved. Not white, though. Black. My cape is yellow on the inside, black on the outside. I reach up and feel my mask. I'm Robin, not Danny.

I see memory Danny. He's a little different, his suit without the cape and everything's one piece. He looks younger, more carefree, but panicked.

"Hey!"

I turn, seeing the modern Danny.

"I said _wait_!"

"No, you said 'I go in first'. Different." He glares at me as I wave off his comment dismissively.

"I forgot," he said finally, referring to the scene around him. "She came in my mind, so I was pulled in too. It's a mindscape, so I knew everything that happened. We can experience it as we are, no matter the angle."

"Who…"

The woman M'gann and Conner fought in the GIW facility is standing with a smile, evading every attack the younger Danny throws. She wears a scarf around her neck, billowing in the wind, with a normal sweater and black jeans. Her brown hair is cut short.

"It's my mind," he cries. "My domain! You're powerless here."

"Ha! Your mental shields are strong, but you are naive to think I have no power here. It may be your mind, but I'm not another mind simply wandering here. I am a psychic." She wanders around, her attacks either missing her completely or going straight through her.

His eyes narrow. "Whatcha gonna do?" His tone is dead serious, and he has a glare of ice and fire.

Her smirk grows even more sinister as her gaze lowers in concentration. "What aren't I going to do?" she taunts, and her eyes glow purple. The entire landscape shakes. People start panicking and the buildings start to rock on their foundations.

Younger Danny looks around in horror. He tries to fight her, but she's untouchable. I've seen psychics like this, so strong they are virtually ghosts in this world. But Danny should be able to at least deter her. That kind of strength against Danny's will might've been a lost battle, but it would've been a battle.

"You… You're a ghost," he gasps in realization, backing away from her and looking around his mind in desperation. But he then focuses on her, blocking out the fear. I have even more respect for this guy. Calmly choose a plan and stick to it.

"What makes you think that?" she purrs, her eyes focusing on him but still bright purple. The shaking continues, but the past Danny ignores it.

"The emotion… You shouldn't have been able to pass through my emotion like that… Or fight against my obsession unless…" Realization grows. "Unless yours was stronger than mine."

She laughs. "Stronger? Nothing's stronger than a protection obsession. And yours? It's so broad! Yours easily outranks mine. But it's broad, so it's easy to find loopholes in the barriers."

The scene cuts out several times in a single second, and my vision flashes with the changes. I turn to Danny as the scene completely freezes, Danny in the air, the girl on the ground, both staring at each other. "What gives?"

"I don't…" His vision becomes laced with a mixture of emotions. "This is before my first memory. I'm surprised I remembered... this much…"

"But we have nothing to go on," I tell him. "Focus!"

"It's not a focus thing!" He shouts back, his hands to his temples now. "It's an 'It is literally not in my skill set to remember!' sort of thing!"

I run through a dozen different things to say in my head. What would Batman say? He always has the right words. Which is weird, given he doesn't talk much. "I could've slipped into a coma," I say at last.

"What?" He turns to me, and his panicked face mixing with confusion.

"You saved me from slipping into a coma. I couldn't follow a conversation, my eyes were all messed up. You kept me awake."

"Anyone else could've done that," he answers. He's modest. But that might ruin my plan, so… Modesty sucks.

"But they didn't. _You_ did."

He mulls it over. The scene plays again as Danny thinks about it. That was so straightforward. Wow.

"What's your obsession? Destroying people's minds?" begins the past Danny again.

"No," she hisses. "The mind is a beautiful thing. I wouldn't seek to destroy it."

Danny gives her a pointed look and waves at the destruction happening around him.

"My sister wants it broken," she explains. "So it will fall."

"Sister…" Danny mutters.

Present Danny gasps. "Evil Barbie!"

"What…"

"It's this lady! She's like the leader of it all, at least in my facility. It makes sense! Pixie would follow her around like a puppy, do all her biddings and all that."

Past Danny growls. "But why?"

"I don't question her!"

"I'm literally powerless. Can't you give me this?" His expression changes ever so slightly. The panic leaks in again, and he looks more boyish. Vulnerable. He oozes safety and innocence.

I look at present Danny. He shrugs. "Must be a ghost aura thing."

The subtle genius of past Danny's tactic works, and the girl softens ever so slightly. The shaking doesn't stop, but her focus isn't on it anymore. It's just shaking, not destroying.

She's silent a moment. "She wants all your secrets, but then wants it broken. You're a different sort of ghost." She mulls over her own words. "But how, I wonder?" Her eyes glow an intense purple, almost too bright too look at.

All of a sudden, the past Danny flickers in and out, his hair switching black and white again, his eyes from green to blue. His dress changes, too. It lands on the black haired boy, pale skin, white T-shirt and jeans, a look of sheer panic. The safety/innocent spell is broken.

"Ahh…" She tilts her head, growing a bright smile. "A human boy with ghost powers? Or a ghost with human's powers?"

"What…" gasps present Danny.

"Danny Fenton," I breathe. He looks at me, demanding an explanation. "I found out while we were in Amity."

"The real reason you wanted it to just be you…" But he isn't focused on me. He's watching the scene. It starts to break again, but I feed Danny another story of his heroism… The day of his escape, where he saved M'gann and Conner.

The scene plays on.

"No!" cries past Danny, looking in horror at his revealed secret.

"A human boy? With a human family?" she muses.

"Leave them alone!"

"But you're just a ghost."

" _You're_ just a ghost! I'm human _and_ a ghost, and my family's all human!"

"My sister won't care. She'll do whatever she wishes with them."

"No! No!"

"What are you going to do about it?" she taunts.

His eyes glow ice, and his expression morphs into pure rage and determination. The city starts to freeze, and Pixie's eyes stop glowing as her power does nothing.

"What? What are you doing!?"

"I'm forgetting it! All of it! You can't tell her about something that nobody knows about!"

"So? I still have the memories of finding out!"

"But they're mine! My mind, my memories!" His eyes glow brighter, brighter. "And I'm taking them back!" She looks completely powerless. "You said my obsession's stronger, it's stronger than yours. Nobody threatens my family!"

I try not to think of that as cheesy.

I fail.

She looks scared now. The ice has started to climb around her, inching up her legs where she stands. The city is covered now, and past Danny flickers from human to ghost at terrifying speeds.

" **Leave** ," Danny says. His voice sounds like both his human and ghost forms are speaking at once. " **Unless you want to forget everything.** "

She sends him one last look of fear (now laced with confusion) before she vanishes, just before the ice hits her waist. Past Danny splits into two Dannys as soon as she's gone.

I whisper one more heroic (saving all of us from the facility on our first mission) to Danny to ensure that the memory continues.

"I'm sorry," the ghost Danny says. I have the impression that it's to people who aren't there, though.

"Guess I'll die," jokes the human Danny, shrugging. He grins. "It's weird. Even though we're the same person, I still feel like this is the end for my human side."

"All our memories," the other Danny agrees. The ice still swirls, getting anything still untouched. It climbs closer to Danny. "In a moment, we'll-I'll- forget being human."

"Yeah. Everything'll be gone." He watches the ice climb onto his shoes with a nervous fascination. "But I'm ghost right now."

"There's still a human body," the ghost Danny continues. His depressed acceptance starts to lift as excitement flits across his face. "With a human brain!"

"Two brains, two minds!"

" **One person**." They now have stupid smiles.

"Take them all with you. When you have control again, us as a human, the memories will be intact. Here, they can be destroyed." The ghost smiles widely. "Everyone will be safe, and there's still a way to get them back!"

The human Danny is covered in ice up to his waist and rising. "I'm a genius."

I can't help but agree.

"If I make it out alive," ghost Danny worries. "Even if I do, if I don't remember what I did here, I could forget forever. Nobody else knows. Where I am, what happened."

"Hey, I'm a hero, right?" The ice has climbed to his shoulders. "This is what I do. I'll escape. I'll turn back into a human. I'll save Sam. Live happily ever after." He eyes the eyes on his neck. "Still feel like I'm dying though. Here: I'm going ghos-"

The ice encases his mouth as he tries to finish the phrase, but with his last remaining couple inches, he winks, just as the ice finishes it's climb. For a second, human Danny stands, an ice statue with a wink and cocky smile, before the ghost Danny touches his shoulder and the entire thing crumbles.

It collapses as if it were hollow and made of a thin layer of snowflakes, blowing away before it even touches the ground.

That's it. Danny Fenton no longer exists. Danny Phantom frowns deeply before blinking widely, the mindscape suddenly appearing unfamiliar to him. He glances around, confused, terrified. He looks at his hands and at the ice around him.

"Where- Who-" he begins, before the memory dissolves in green light.

We're back in his mindscape, the present version.

"Wow."

He nods mutely.

"That was informative."

He nods again.

"We gotta get you human again?"

He nods.

"How?"

He shrugs.

"Do we tell anyone else?"

He shakes his head. I already know why. If we can't figure out how to get him human again, there's no guarantee that he'll-in fact it's entirely possible he won't-get his memories back.

Still. Jazz and Tucker might know how to get him back.

I voice it, and he shakes his head.

"They don't. And I can't deal with them spazzing out about this. This is something I need to remember for myself. Don't tell anyone."

"I won't. We can figure it out." I smile a big smile, suddenly giddy with the information. "We can do this."

He frowns briefly. "We'll see."

* * *

 **That was a big chunk of the plot right there!**

 **Also, I wanted to let y'all know that Danny getting his memories back and getting Sam back is not the end of the story. Vlad's coming. This is only the beginning.**

 **Ha** **, I'm kidding, we're a good half/two-thirds the way through. That would be a lot, if 130 pages was the beginning.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Sorry it took so long, and it's kinda a dumb chapter, but I like it a lot. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

"No! How did you do that?! That's fire! OH MY GOSH!"

She flies around, drawers slamming open and cupboards flying open and closed. "Where's the fire extinguisher! PHANTOM!"

I can't stop a smile at her panic. I freeze the pan and the fire with it. She stops, still in the air, her knees to her chest and her hands extended. "Not a fan of fire?" I ask.

"Heat is my weakness! How is it even possible for you to set the _boiling water_ on _fire_?!"

I glance back at that the pot. My ice has started to melt, but not quickly. "I told you I'm not very good at cooking."

"You said you cook all the time?!"

"Oh. I guess I did say that. I don't have any memories though." She smacks her head. "I'm good enough. At least good enough not to set water on fire." I walk over to the stove and inspect the pan. "And good enough to know to never let Tucker and Robin in the kitchen."

She uncoils, shutting all the drawers and cupboards with her mind. "What do you mean?"

I point to the pot. "That's oil. They put oil in the water."

"How did we miss that?" she asks, peering at the water nervously.

I shrug. "It's probably colorless or something."

"They're jerks," she huffs.

"Yes, but we're the cooks," I reply, taking the water and dumping it all in the sink, the ice chunk breaking in two. She gives me a "so?". In response, I open the spice drawer and hold up a bottle of red pepper flakes.

She smiles.

I convince her to make something that's not pasta, and we settle on stirfry and french toast. What? I like stirfry, she's never had french toast. It was a compromise.

Don't ask me how I know how I like both those food items, because I won't be able to answer.

We use two different pans. Since I don't remember how to make stirfry, she hands me tasks to do as she follows the recipe and actually does the cooking. Currently I'm chopping up a bunch of random vegetables, including onions. Gag.

M'gann is adding oil to the pan (not without inspecting it first though), and gathering the chopped chicken and dropping it into the pan, causing it to sizzle. She frowns slightly at the sparking oil before going over to the sink to wash her hands.

When she turns back, she gasps. Confused, I look up at her. "Danny, are you okay?" she whispers.

Why… Oh, the onions. I resist the urge to smile. My eyes are steaming and it probably looks like I'm crying. "It…" I gulp, turning away. "It just gets so hard sometimes." My voice shakes, but not from tears. Well, not from tears of pain, anyway.

"Oh, Danny." She flies over and throws her arms around me. I stifle a giggle. "What… are those onions?" She pulls away with an annoyed expression. "You're just as bad as Tucker and Robin!"

I laugh and turn back to the onions.

"Speaking of which… Why isn't he ever a civilian?" I muse, moving the knife along the cutting board, careful to keep it away from my fingers and out of my flashbacks.

"Batman doesn't want anyone to know who he is," she replies over her shoulder, sprinkling the chicken with several different spices from her palm. "He wears civilian clothes sometimes. But he also wears sunglasses."

"Will he ever tell you?" I ask.

She shrugs. "Maybe. It doesn't matter to me, though. We don't hang out outside of the team."

"Why not?"

"He lives in Gotham," she responds.

"Oh. Cool." I push my contents into the pan at M'gann's instruction.

She smiles. "It doesn't bother you either, does it?"

"Not really." I'm surprised she got that impression based on my questions, but I guess she is a telepath. "I'm curious, but I'm always curious."

"Sometimes Conner gets huffy about it." She grins. "But he has trust issues. It's not about actually knowing. It's about not being trusted with it."

"Are you guys together?" I blurt. "I know it's random, but it seemed obvious, but I could be clueless, and nobody's straight out told me. Robin said some cryptic things and… Yeah."

She chuckles. "Yes, we are. You're not clueless, and Robin's just a butt. You got that Artemis and Wally are together too, right?"

I laugh. "I'd be concerned if I didn't."

"And Robin and Zatanna," she continues.

"Wait, what?"

"I'm just kidding! Robin's such a player."

I raise my eyebrows. "Disappointed?"

She laughs and shrugs. "What? No. He's cute, I guess, but he's like an annoying younger brother."

"He is the ultimate annoying younger brother," I agree, rolling my eyes. "Even though we're only like two years apart, and I'm losing my first sixteen years, I still feel like I'm babysitting him sometimes."

She giggles.

We place the food on plates, using separate ones for each, placing the four on the table. M'gann uses her telekinesis to set the table with utensils as I place the soy sauce, syrup, butter, and all the other random bottles M'gann insisted we'd need.

"You get the team," I tell M'gann. "And um… Warn them to not use the syrup or soy sauce."

She glances at them curiously.

"What did you do to them?" she asks.

I shrug. "Guess you'll have to wait and see…"

She grins and I hear _Dinner Time!_ Ring through the mindlink that never really seems to be off.

Wally is there in seconds, sitting at the table with a huge grin at the food. "These don't really go together," he notes, gesturing at the two dishes.

I shrug.

He gives me a goofy grin. "Good enough for me."

 _Don't use the soy sauce or syrup_ , M'gann informs over the mindlink.

 _Why?_ Wally and Conner both ask. I can feel the rest of the team wondering.

Mindlinks are weird.

 _Danny?_ M'gann asks.

 _You'll see…_

The team quickly joins Wally at the table, and as soon as they're all seated, M'gann gives the signal to go ahead.

Wally waits for everyone else to get food, which happens pretty much every night. Robin and Tucker fill up first, then Aqualad and Conner are polite enough to let all the girls get their food before them. Then the rest of us get some, followed by Wally grabbing the resulting serving plates (which are still about half full).

The team watches with realization as both Tucker and Robin drizzle their food with the sauces we'd warned them against. M'gann and I both share a glance.

I feign drinking water to avoid the telltale smile.

Tucker goes for the stirfry first, and Robin goes for the french toast. I'm glad they chose different dishes. It's better this way. The team (even Wally) pause to watch what happens.

Tucker immediately hacks, going for his water. Robin gulps and starts coughing harshly, reaching for his water too. As soon as they take a sip they spit it right back into the glass. They push back from the table and run to the kitchen.

I just sip my water.

The team bursts into a laughing fit.

"What… What did you _do_!" laughs Artemis.

"Um… Well, I put a lot of hot sauce and cayenne pepper in the soy sauce… and the syrup is straight vanilla and cinnamon. I'm surprised they didn't smell it." I can't help the huge smile. The syrup is like the cinnamon challenge; a teaspoon of straight cinnamon. But with vanilla too! Vanilla is nasty on its own.

"Straight vanilla…" M'gann picks up the pitcher and it moves with the consistency of thick water. "How did they miss this?"

"I put that clear syrup stuff in it so it'd be thicker and mask the smell at least a little bit."

"What was in our water?" shouts Tucker from the sink before spraying more water in his mouth.

"OIL," I announce pointedly.

The team looks confused. M'gann fills them in. "They put oil in the water we were boiling, and it set on fire."

They continue looking humorously at Robin and Tucker as M'gann replaces the ruined sauce and syrup, switching it out for unopened bottles. I'd saved a couple plates of unruined food for Tucker and Robin, and they grudgingly get it and glare at me before actually eating this time, albeit a bit more warily.

"Revenge a la Danny," Zatanna snickers, and Robin and Tucker give her dirty looks. She just grins.

Jazz even smiles. I didn't even think she was capable of that. "There's this guy at our high school," she begins, still smiling slightly. "Danny was mad at him, for some reason… I forget. It's not important. But Danny went into this guy's house and gathered all of these pink and purple stuffed bears and stuffed them all in the guy's locker." She's saying "this guy" a lot. Wonder why?

"This revenge thing is unhealthy," Robin mumbles around a mouthful of food. "You need to learn to let things go."

I smirk at him and send a kick under the table.

He yelps, choking on his food and sputtering.

Everyone looks at me. I look at Robin with mock concern. "Gosh, are you okay?"

The table snickers again.

He scowls at me but doesn't retaliate, and we return to our meal. It finishes without any more incident, even if Robin still looks miffed.

Then he acts weird. He dabs his mouth with a napkin I don't remember him having, then locks eyes with M'gann. "Thank you for dinner. That was lovely."

I raise an eyebrow. "Um, what about me?"

He focuses on me and I immediately regret talking. Almost as fast as Wally, he hops up on his seat and launches at me, flying across the table.

I scream (but in a manly way, mind you) as my chair tips back and Robin tackles me.

We fight for control on who gets to be on top and pin the other, but unfortunately, Robin is way more trained than me.

"Intangibility!" shouts Tucker from the table.

"Oh. Duh." I sink into the floor. Robin shouts at Tucker about cheating, then at me for cheating, then throws his hands up and walks away.

I reappear.

Artemis shrugs. "Who's up for a movie?"

The team agrees and we all end up on the couch, arguing about which kind of movie to watch. I personally want a horror movie, and Tucker and Wally back me up on that. Conner, Robin (who'd come back from his pout) and Artemis are shooting for action/adventure, and Zatanna, M'gann and Jazz want some kind of RomCom. Aqualad looks like he couldn't care less, but he is the tie breaking vote so the three opposing groups try to sweet talk them on their side.

He eventually votes a horror much to my delight, but our victory turns sour as we start arguing what movie in that genre to watch. Eventually annoyed, I steal the remote with my intangibility and click on the first one that pops up.

It's a ghost film.

I love it.

The team goes quiet and begrudgingly accepts the choice. The moment the first horribly fake scream rings out the team snaps out of their silence and starts chattering.

Much like roles on missions, the team takes specific roles in watching the movie. Conner, Robin and Zatanna are in charge of critique, M'gann and Kaldur sympathize with the characters, Wally and Tucker shout out cliche warnings and Jazz and Artemis shush them constantly.

I'm the only one content with watching everyone else's reactions and not adding my own.

Like any good horror movie, the acting is terrible, the lights and sound effects are even worse, and the monster looks fake. But the jumpscares and deaths are frequent, the storyline almost believable, and the characters unable to defeat it in the end. So it's coming… for you.

When the final blood streaked words appear, the entire team is silent… until we all burst into a laughing fit. I sit behind everyone, on the top of the couch, and I realize I could very easily slip away. Robin had glanced back every once in a while, but he slowly stopped.

As the team wrestles for another movie-the sequel to the one we just watched is winning the argument so far- a plan seems to take form.

The movie starts, and M'gann, who went to get popcorn, turns off the lights and hands out six different bowls. Robin changes the tropical display behind the large flat screen to dark and stormy woods to add to the mood, and everyone quiets for the opening credits.

The teens walk in a dark forest, their car broken. Wally comments as they try to turn over the engine. Robin comments as they stumble through the woods. M'gann gasps as one falls down a mudbank.

I place my hand on the ground, letting my cold seep through the concrete. Subtle enough that no one really notices, but chilled enough that Wally grabs a blanket from the ottoman, wrapping it around him and Artemis. Robin puts an arm around Zatanna and she gives him a close-lipped growl, but lets it stay there.

Everyone else just kind moves closer together, but nobody realizes it was me.

I grin.

The ghost appears, and the teens scream in fear. They run to the kitchen, trying to find salt or iron or whatever.

Silently, I grab the salt from the kitchen, open it, and set it on the very edge of the counter. I hurry back, alighting softly on the couch. Tense music rumbles through the speakers. Silence. Silence.

The salt slams on the ground, and a couple team members yelp. I glance back. "I think something just fell," I offer helpfully.

They turn back to the movie.

I wonder if anybody has fake blood. The next thing I do is turn on the AC, freezing the grate so the wind is icy cold.

Then I slip through Robin invisibly, taking his remote control for the cave. It's touch screen, and I fiddle with it as the movie continues. The team is getting colder and colder, and the slight wind blows at their hair.

"Robin, why is it so cold?" Wally whines as the girls in the movie run through the haunted house.

"Let me- Has anyone seen my remote?"

At that instant, I find Robin's downloaded sounds, including thunder. I hit it, and the team gasps. I gasp with them, turning the remote invisible as the team looks around for it.

I palm the remote, setting in several commands. Wow, Robin has this entire place mapped out with pranks!

Movie, shut off, keep sound on and playing everywhere. Lights off. Showers on. AC on.

I hit initiate all at once, and the room plunges into darkness. Wally yelps and Tucker screams like a girl. I make a duplicate before lighting up my hand. The room illuminates with green light.

"Okay, who's pranking us?" Artemis demands.

"Everyone's here," Tucker replies.

"Robin?" she continues.

"It's not me! I don't have my remote! Someone took it."

"Okay, this isn't funny," I say seriously, frowning. "Wally, is it you? You'd be fast enough to steal his remote."

"Yeah, and you could've just phased through it!" he returns.

"This is not my idea of fun!" I shout back, pretending to be furious.

Kaldur tries to calm us. My duplicate is setting traps over the Cave, trying to guess the team's path.

"This is ridiculous," Jazz huffs, as the audio lets out a blood curdling scream.

The team jumps.

"Let's go find the main computer," Robin suggests, and I float ahead, carrying the light in my palm. Several team members grunt as they slip over a pool of oil that my duplicate spread. Only Megan and I, who are floating, are spared.

"Is… Is this _oil_?" Wally groans. "Is this another Robin and Tucker versus Danny prank wars?"

I frown. "It's Megan and Danny against Robin and Tucker. Everyone else is excluded."

"You two are the only ones who didn't fall," Jazz notes.

"We're also the only two who can fly," Megan replies.

True.

I decide I need to further distance myself from the blame. To do that, I need to take down my supposed team member.

My duplicate responds by launching out of one wall and slamming into Megan by the waist, carrying her through the opposite wall. The process was almost silent, but Superboy heard and his eyes dart to where he heard her almost silent gasp. His eyes widen.

"Where's M'gann?!" he demands to the air.

Meanwhile, my duplicate had carried M'gann into the closest room. Shoot. I probably need to get Superboy too. He can hear everything in the Cave.

"Megan, and Conner, too, I guess, since he can probably hear me, well, hi. It's me. This is fun. Want to join in?"

Megan giggles and nods, totally up for a huge prank war. Conner locks eyes with me, and I give an almost imperceptible smirk. His eyes are hard, and he glances once at the team, who are shaking off oil and grumbling. He looks at his own oil covered clothes. Then, he nods.

The team fights again, but this time Conner shuts them up. "Let's just get these stupid lights on," he growls. I resist a smile. This is too fun.

After using my intangibility to rid them all of oil, we walk along the hall again, careful of more booby traps. Megan and my duplicate are setting up the mission room, but they're not quite done so I stall them all by being extra careful.

"I hope we don't have a mission during this," Robin comments. "This would be impossible to explain to Batman."

"Dibs on you explaining," Wally says immediately after he finishes talking. The team quickly agrees and Robin glares at us all.

Megan gives me the okay telepathically and I use my duplicate again, to kidnap Conner.

He goes directly underneath Conner and yanks him completely underground. He does a little grunt/yelp/cry of surprise kind of noise and is gone. The team chatters again. They still think this is a prank, but it's getting a little less solid.

We count our losses and go into the mission room.

My light doesn't carry far, but we can distinctly see blood drops. I resist another grin. Megan knew where fake blood was (Halloween, apparently). I bring up a brighter light. The room is illuminated in eerie green.

"What's on the wall?" Robin asks, drawing closer. I follow with my light, face deadly serious.

Megan had suggested it. Drawing stick figures of all the team members on the wall with chalk. Our symbols are etched under the feet, some defining features too. Robin has his R and a cape, Kaldur two swords and an A, Wally goggles and a lightning bolt, Superboy the S on his chest, me a cape and my DP, Tucker glasses and a PDA as a symbol, Zatanna a bowtie and a magic wand, Artemis a ponytail and bow and arrow, Megan a cape and an X, and finally Jazz with a hairband and hair. There is no symbol for her.

On Megan and Conner's figures, there are slashes of fake blood. As we watch, my duplicate, invisible, slashes a paintbrush of blood over Kaldur's picture. We all jerk, surprised, looking to Kaldur.

He looks confused, until my duplicate grabs his foot and drags him off. He hits the ground, bracing his arms on the smooth concrete, kicking at the assailant. The rest of the team tries to react, but my duplicate moves fast. Wally tries to grab him, being the fastest, but Kaldur turns intangible and goes straight through the wall.

My duplicate reappears for Kaldur, and he drops out of his fighting stance, smiling but disapproving. As the team freaks a little bit, duplicate Danny convinces Aqualad to take part in the pranking. He agrees, and brings an amazing idea with him.

The temperature continues to drop as we try to discuss what to do, and if it's even real or not. Twice more the blame comes by me, but I either get defensive or melancholy, and they lay off.

Our breath is fogged in the dim light, and for a fraction of an instant, I remember the faintest but most helpful memory thus far.

My breath turns white when a ghost is near. I saw it while fighting the glob monster, but it was faint and I assumed it was my ice powers at work.

I take a deep breath and gasp out all the white breath.

Jazz and Tucker look at each other.

"What was that?" I ask.

"Your… Ghost sense…" Tucker reveals warily. "That means there's another ghost in here. And… it's close."

Everyone's immediately alert, backing into a circle. I float slightly above their heads, trying to provide light for the danger ahead.

Until the danger ahead grabs me from the ceiling in the form of a noose. Kaldur argued around my neck might be too real, and there's a line between funny-scary and call-the-League-scary that we shouldn't cross. It snags my wrist and wrenches me up. I shout a warning and kick out my legs.

My light goes out and my duplicate and I make a loud and convincing dark fight. The only illumination is my ghost rays and ice energy. My duplicate "wins" though and we wrestle out of the room, my shouts muffled as if being stifled.

I hold the team members I'd captured invisibly as the team scrambles for more light. The flashlights are produced by Robin and Artemis. He shines it on our pictures. My picture is now slashed out. Megan almost loses it at their faces. They're actually scared now!

Robin takes out several glowsticks. "Put these on. That way we'll know where we are."

I point to the glowsticks. Kaldur knows what I mean and pulls out one of his own. I take it with a grin.

As the team searches for the missing members, we stick to Megan's room, decking me out in ghost gear. She uses her organic clothes to morph a full body suit that looks like human skin with rags of clothes. She uses a hood to mask my face, but puts blood all over it so it can shine in the dim light. I dip my bangs in fake blood.

"Nice," Conner comments.

"Why did you start this?" Kaldur asks randomly.

I shrug. "I just kinda felt like it. It wasn't supposed to get so complicated, but I like it this way. Anyway, who's next?"

"I say Tucker and Robin are last," Conner suggests.

Megan nods. "And we can separate them."

"Zatanna," Kaldur answers. "She has magical abilities. That could help immensely." He pauses. "This isn't what a leader should do."

"Yes… He should lead," I respond. I hold up a glowstick.

He smiles. "What do you have in mind?"

Ten minutes later, the remaining team is faced in the training room with a dark figure with glowing red eyes.

Flashlights shine.

"Kaldur!"

His mouth opens, and a screech emits. Suddenly there are four more figures from seemingly nowhere, all with glowing red eyes.

"I don't think…" Jazz starts just as water from the pool rushes forward at Kaldur's command.

Flashlights are abandoned.

"Eht moor si detanimulli," cries Zatanna, and the room is filled with brilliant white light.

There are four of us, all decked with red contact lenses (the glow is for the outside of our lids), Kaldur, Megan, Conner and me. My duplicate dressed as the other ghost stands just out of sight. He screeches, and we attack.

The team immediately defends against the "turned" teammates, holding back to avoid hurting them.

"They're possessed," Jazz informs the team.

Zatanna's eyes furrow. "Lepxe eht tirips!"

Megan follows through on her attack, throwing Zatanna into the foam blocks underneath the gymnastic equipment.

"Why didn't that work?" Wally shouts.

"It's incredibly complicated, or maybe…" her eyebrows furrow as she mutters a spell to get her out of the pit. "No, they are… They feel like spirits…" No they don't. I feel like a spirit. "But they feel like…" I can see her connection starting. I have a lot of presence in this room, but she's going to figure out it's the only presence.

The dressed duplicate flickers in and out of invisibility, moving around the room. He appears right in front of Zatanna. She shouts, but they both disappear. Zatanna's spell fails as she is forced through solid ground, and the light shuts off, the "possessed" members closing their eyes for the glowing eye effect, then disappearing before Robin can find the flashlight again.

Zatanna jerks from my duplicate when it places her down. She begins a rapid spell, but the duplicate laughs, getting joined by the other team members. I flick on the room's light.

Megan laughs. "Don't worry. It's just a prank."

She takes out a contact lense and smiles.

Zatanna looks surprised before it morphs into anger. "That's so mean! You really scared us back there, and you know, I so want in!"

"Of course! Let's get you possessed." Megan takes out a spare set of contact lenses.

"What? No way. Let's use a little magic. Der, gniwolg seye rof enoyreve." All our eyes turn bright red.

"Cool," I say.

She looks at me. "Ffo." Our eyes turn back to the normal lenses. "Did you start this?"

I give her a smile.

She laughs. "This is so much fun! Now that I'm on this side, I mean. That was starting to freak me out."

"What's next?" Conner asks.

I shrug. "Um… Who's left? Wally, Artemis, and Jazz, right?"

"And Robin and Tucker," Zatanna adds.

"Yeah, but we're not getting them," Kaldur tells her. "I say we split them up and take the three at once. Wally and Artemis won't be entertained if they're taken separately. And Jazz is at risk of finding out."

"Okay. Let's use some good old fashioned bait," I suggest. "In several different places."

"I call kidnapping Jazz~" Zatanna sings.

"I'll take Robin and Tucker," I decide.

"M'gann and I can take Artemis, if Kaldur gets Wally," Conner suggests.

"You know, it surprises me most that you're in on this," Zatanna directs at him. He just gives her a wolfish smile. I turn off the lights.

"No," Zatanna mutters, and our eyes glow again. M'gann asks for her's off, and it dims.

The team is back in the mission room. The figures are up-to-date, courtesy of Megan. All at once, Megan gives the signal and four separate screams for help ring out at the same time, one of them mine, the others being Megan, Zatanna and Kaldur.

Conner refused to scream.

"They want to separate us," Robin notes. I'd flown up from the corridor to hear their conversation.

"I don't care. Danny needs our help," Jazz snaps. I grin as they start arguing again, going where Zatanna is. She briefly starts to attack, but recognizes me and stops. I smile at her and scream Jazz's name.

I wink and disappear. When I get back to the mission room, Jazz is gone and the team looks ready to go after her. Robin is looking around, and I let my duplicate appear just long enough for Robin's attention. Frosty footsteps lead off into the darkness of the corridor.

Like I thought, he immediately runs off, not bothering to get the rest of the team. Megan and Kaldur shout for help at the same time, and Wally and Artemis make a split decision to go after them together, assuming Robin and Tucker are together. Of course, they never looked to see, leaving Tucker alone.

I appear in my Phantom attire with glowing red eyes.

"Hey… Danny… Possessed, are you?" he stammers nervously.

"Hey, Tucker," I agree, walking closer. He takes several steps back.

All of a sudden, a stick of glowing green is slamming into my chest, and Tucker turns on his heel and bolts down a random hallway. I rub my sore chest.

Wow, he's gotten better.

Wait, better from what?

I ignore it, slashing the figures taken before waiting invisibly for people to return.

Megan informs me they have everyone (Jazz was sour, but she lightened up. Artemis was downright furious before we told her our final reveal) and I wait for Tucker and Robin to come back.

They eventually do, after fifteen minutes of caution and finding each other. The team torments them the entire time.

They shine the figures. They're all slashed except for themselves.

"Time to call Batman?" Robin asks.

Tucker nods. Robin goes for his watch, but my duplicate goes right in front of them, glowing ethereally. He tilts his head. One by one, pairs of red eyes open in a circle around them, including me on the end. They jerk around, guessing we're the team.

The ghost turns, slashing twice with his bloody hands, taking the last two figures.

All at once, every light source and sound shuts off, leaving them in darkness.

They both scream (but not like little girls like I hoped. As teenage boys). For three seconds there's absolute quiet as the team rushes around in silence, then I turn the lights back on.

All blood and stick figures are gone (courtesy of my intangibility), the team disappeared as well. I replace the remote on Robin's belt without alerting him. He's standing in a battle stance, several weapons in each hand.

I return to the team in the movie room.

Several minutes later, Robin and Tucker join us. All they see is the team reclining on the couch, eating popcorn and arguing over the movies.

I look at their ghastly faces. "Is something wrong?"

Zatanna jumps in. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Their confusion is priceless.

* * *

 **That was kind of a strange chapter, I know, but I needed some bonding and the idea just kinda came. Seems like something Danny would do, huh? Start an innocent prank that gets more and more elaborate? Maybe not? It's not important.**

 **I rewrote the first twentyish chapters (mostly mistake fixes and inserted plot points, only a couple are completely rewritten).**


	32. Chapter 32

"I can feel it. I know if I just grab it, I can pull on it and it'll come with no resistance. So why can't I get a hold on it?

"It's like holding water.

"I've spent so long shoving this part of me away, trying to bury it and protect it, I just can't… I can't figure out how to get it back. It sucks. I know exactly how to get everything back-to fix everything- but I can't freaking do it- Something I've probably done a million times!"

He's pacing-or floating-back and forth, head down and hood up.

"You can't figure everything out just by getting your memories back," I try to reassure him. "Let's see. Like why the light has ectoplasmic weapons and energy. Or what the GIW is up to. Or if the GIW and the light are working together. You don't have to fix everything… you can't. Took me a while to learn that. It'll take you a while too." All the while my hands move, fixing Phantom's belt up.

"But it's so frustrating! It's right there! I- URGH!" He pulls on his hair in frustration, still pacing.

"Calm yourself," I demand, still focusing on the belt in my hands. I'm trying to connect a loop for the thermos Danny asked for. Wally was in here with me and Danny, but he had to go. Probably to makeout with Artemis.

"Fine," he huffs. He sits back down beside me, where he was fiddling with a contraption Jazz brought him. He isn't sitting on anything, just… floating in a crossed-legs position.

I asked him once if he ever gets tired floating around. He told me that's ridiculous; being a ghost means floating is as natural as standing or sitting.

Like before, his mind wanders as his hands twist the wires of the machine, fingers pulling and fiddling with the parts unconsciously. It's muscle memory, I'm guessing. I wonder what he's thinking about. Usually it's something completely random.

It is.

"How much do you know about ghosts?"

The question throws me off guard, as they usually do. Still, without missing a beat, I answer, "They were studied and discovered by Jazz's parents, the Fentons, and they exist in a flip dimension of our world. If one is destroyed, so is the other. They are made of ectoplasm and the… souls, I guess? of those that died. They have obsessions, powers, sometimes domains in their dimension. Not much else."

"They have laws," he adds, absentmindedly, still focused on the thing in front of him.

I don't break what I'm doing, hoping he continues talking in his trance, surfacing new memories.

"And?" I ask after a long silence.

"There are artifacts. Skeleton Key, Infi-map, Time Medallions…" He grows thoughtful. "Crown of Fire and Ring of Rage."

"What about them?" I ask, keeping a disinterested voice but harboring a growing excitement.

"They only work together," he continues. "They-" He stops, closing his eyes. I watch as his emotions conflict with each other, knowing the brief moment of remembrance is over.

"Hey, that's more than we knew before." As I talk, the door opens, revealing Zatanna. She glances at Danny, face full of warring frustration and despair, and then at me. I shrug, honestly not knowing what to say.

"Rebmemer," says Zatanna. Danny lets out a gasp before whirling to her, expression accusing. She shrugs at him. "Figured I'd try."

"Yeah, well, it didn't work," he bites out. "That just gave me a headache, _thanks_."

She raises her eyebrows. He's not usually this rude, even when stressed. Despite the change in behavior, though, she ignores it and goes to sit on the table next to my now finished project.

"Why didn't it work?" I wonder aloud.

"I must not be powerful enough for that." Her tone waves it off.

I clear my throat in Danny's direction, emphasizing that the question was for him. He simply gives me a look, one that says _later_. I marvel at our ability for silent communication after only knowing each other for a short time.

Anyway, I let it drop.

"Do we have a mission?" I ask, switching topics. "Is that why you're here?"

"No, we have a bored Zatanna." She flicks the standing magnifying glass I had been using, making it spin. "We should do another prank or something."

Danny shakes his head. "I'm banned from doing those after last time. Tucker thinks I'm corrupted and I'm pretty sure Batman hates me now."

"He doesn't hate you," I'm quick to assure. "He doesn't like you either, but he doesn't like anyone, so it's fine." I'd told Batman about Danny's master prank of all pranks, and he'd thought it was hilarious (or as hilarious as the Dark Knight can find things).

Of course, it followed with a lecture about how I should've called him in case it was real. I told him I was going to, but before I pressed the button… Um… things happened.

Danny happened.

Anyway, at least Batman trusts Danny more now. I'd "let slip" the League's location (actually it was an old League hideout that was condemned in a natural disaster), and nothing had happened to it yet. No probes, no people, not even Danny himself checking it out. I can hardly believe Danny, with his intense curiosity, can not care about the supposed Justice League HQ.

Didn't even ask any questions.

Weird.

"He likes you," he grumbles.

"You can't compare yourself to me. That's hardly fair. I'm amazingly talented and funny. I get ladies. I'm awesome."

"Not to mention modest," Zatanna snipes.

"And aren't you single?" Danny adds.

"I'm playing hard to get," I reply.

"Can't play hard to get if you're hard to want," he returns, and Zatanna giggles. I give him a scathing look to which he grins, snatching his utility belt from my work area to change the subject.

He pulls it around his waist, clicking the mechanism shut. "So what's new?"

"You can put your thermos in it," I deadpan, cleaning up my tools.

"And?"

"And it's a belt."

Zatanna snickers.

He messes with the pockets, but finds nothing. I upgraded the tech, but he hasn't put anything in them yet. I tell him as much, and he simply makes a note to ask Jazz and Tucker for some ghost tech later.

Over the speakers, Jazz's arrival is announced.

"Great, we can just ask her now," Danny chirps, flying through the nearest wall. Zatanna and I, being ordinary, follow through the door and walk down the hall. We arrive to a decent amount of chaos.

Starting with Jazz, panting and leaning on Tucker, who is watching the interaction of Danny and… a girl. Who looks just like him. They just float, Danny silent because he's confused and shocked, the girl quiet and demanding.

"Y-umm…" I try to make a sound, but I fail and fall quiet.

Zatanna doesn't stay speechless. "What?!" she barks, and everyone looks at her. Danny looks relieved, but the girl looks irritated at the interruption.

"Danny, Dani," Jazz introduces, standing on her own with a look of murder to the girl. "Dani, this is Robin and Zatanna. Robin and Zatanna, Dani."

I echo Zatanna, "What?"

The girl finally speaks. "That's me. Dani. With an i." She holds up her pinky as said letter, accompanying it with a wink. "My full name's Dani Phantom."

"Um. I thought I was Danny Phantom," Danny argues weakly, still looking hopelessly confused.

"You are. I'm Dani-with-an-i Phantom. You really don't remember?" Her cocky attitude seems to fade a moment as she searches his face again for any kind of recognition. "Danny…"

"How did you even get here?" Tucker interjects.

"She possessed me," Jazz snaps.

Dani's brief melancholy moment evaporates in indignance as she turns to Jazz with a glare. "Hey, you wouldn't tell me where he was! I was looking for him for a full-freaking-month and y'all didn't have the decency to let me know you found him! So yeah, I overshadowed you, because you were soo smart to tell me that you knew where he was, he was 'safe' and you were going to see him in a place I couldn't go! He's my family, too! He's my only family! Don't blame me for-"

"Shut up, Dani!" Tucker shouts. He looks a little pale. "We found and told you Danny was missing only a week after he disappeared."

"Yeah, so."

I speak up. "He was gone for nine months. We found him three or four weeks ago."

She blinks. "Wha… That doesn't make any sense."

"That means you missed almost the entire time he was gone…" Jazz concludes quietly.

"Where… What does that mean?" she asks. We don't answer, being unable. "What does that mean?!"

"Where were you?" Jazz asks. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Um…" Her brow furrows. "I was… I was taken a couple days after we talked… I knew where a GIW facility was and kinda guessed that's where… I was wrong. I was just overshadowing this doctor guy to check it out, but I was caught. They drugged me and…" Her face is a mask of concentration, and she pauses to try and remember. "I woke up in a pod. A pod, with my hands and feet clamped down. I was really cold, but also hot, because there was fire everywhere. The thing was broken, and I managed to use my powers to escape the bonds, which wasn't easy because they were ghost-proof. I went intangible in the flames."

"Like a cryogenic chamber?" I ask. If she was frozen, that would explain everything.

"Alright, okay. A chamber." She waves her hand. "Reminded me of where I was born, that's all."

"Which was in a pod," Tucker offers. "She's a clone."

"Of who?" As soon as it comes out of my mouth, I realize it's stupid. But… " _Phantom_?! But he's a boy!"

Dani shrugs. "So he copied two Xs instead of an X and a Y."

"Wouldn't that make you unstable?"

She rolls her eyes. "Yes. But they were all unstable. Danny fixed me."

"All?" Zatanna sputters, still shocked like me.

"There were more clones. I wasn't the only one. That's not important. Why would they freeze me? And how did I get out?"

"They're not trying to make clones, are they?" Jazz asks, looking horrified. "If they were…"

Dani goes pale. "I'm the only successful one. I have the thing in me that made me stable! If they got that, they could make more…" She breathes once, closing her eyes briefly. "I can't believe I didn't notice the dates were different for so long."

"Just one more thing to worry about, right?" Tucker jokes without humor. "It's only one more. What's one more?"

"And what's _with_ you?" demands Dani, turning back to Danny, who had simply watched the conversation with an expression of hopeless confusion.

"What?" he asks, sounding resigned.

"You don't even recognize me! What'd they do to you?"

"He doesn't have any memories," Jazz supplies. "He doesn't remember _any_ thing. Who he is, _what_ he is, nothing." The emphasis she makes isn't obvious, but the glare she gives Dani send the message. I'm just glad I already know what she's hiding, otherwise I'd've been suspicious of her.

"Nothing?" she muses, and I see the mischief in her eyes. It fades an instant before she asks, "What about Sam?"

"We haven't…" Tucker clears his throat, looking uncomfortable. "Haven't found her yet."

Dani closes her eyes for a second. "That's okay. We'll find her. And the people who deemed it important to kidnap them both and freeze me. Freeze _me_." She mutters something in another language that doesn't sound nice. Danny's eyes widen at it. "That made me lose an entire nine months! I don't even know how old I am at this point!"

"Thirteen," Jazz supplies. "You were born two years ago a couple months back."

"So thirteen and a half," she declares. Then she sighs dramatically. "Oh, well. I guess we're three years apart now."

Danny looks uncomfortable and still hasn't said anything. I notice a bit too late that he's lost in his own head. I snap his name, but there's no response. Soon the conversation consists of only his name being shouted at him, excluding Dani, who watches us with a strange expression.

Finally, she steps up, pushing us out of her way, despite having the ability to just go through us.

She glares at Danny, who is still staring off into the distance, completely unresponsive.

Then she kicks him in the leg. Really hard. Like, can-hear-it hard-across-the-room-without-super-hearing hard.

Ouch.

In her defense, it works. Danny is snapped out of it instantly, letting out a yelp and pulling away from Dani. He shakes his leg, glaring at her.

She gives a nonchalant shrug. "Sorry, foot slipped."

His glare deepens. She ignores it.

Randomly, I wonder if this could solve the nature vs. nurture debate. Clearly, they are the exact same, only they had different experiences. They had to, if Dani came and went as she pleased, and Danny stayed at home. Or maybe it's just a boy/girl difference.

"What were you thinking about?" Jazz asks, before Danny punched Dani. Wow, that's confusing. Why didn't she change her name or something?

"Just blurry fragments," he dismisses. "I was trying to put them together."

Jazz accepts it, against her nature. I, however, don't.

"What kind of fragments?" I press.

He gives me an annoyed look, then looks suddenly uncomfortable with everyone's attention on him. "Er… If you were unfrozen about a month ago, that would've been around the time the team was looking for me. Maybe they unintentionally set you free."

"We do start a lot of fires," Zatanna muses. "Particularly, there was one about four days before we found Danny. We were still waiting for the device to be turned on, so we hit a GIW facility outside of a town in Ohio. We accidentally ignited radioactive material when fighting off some of the defenses, though in retrospect, maybe they shouldn't have used high-power weapons as security for flammable material."

I laugh once, then continue the story. "The fire spread faster than Kaldur could put it out, and it was edging closer to the main gas line that was so outdated you had to shut it off manually, so we abandoned ship. Everyone had already cleared out because we were discovered. We downloaded as much as we could, but only got the research level's information. There were twelve levels, we only hit two."

"I was on the bottom." Dani frowns. "You left without knowing there were other people there?"

"We _tried_ to put the fire out!" I defend. "And the place was deserted; it was evacuated! Plus, they have safe rooms on every level. Our retreat was justified."

"Chicken," she accuses, jutting her chin out and folding her arms.

"Child," I retort, folding my arms.

"Children, children, please," Tucker mocks. I recognize Dani and I are both being childish, and his tone just makes me more petty."

"Mock me when you can land a hit," I retort.

"Guys, come on," Jazz interjects. "We have other things to worry about."

"Yeah, Jazz is right," Dani agrees. I hear her mocking tone of voice too late; she comes right behind me and punches me in the back. In the back! Who punches someone in the back? What's worse is she inherited Danny's strength and I fly forward a good few yards, having to duck into a somersault in order to avoid getting a faceful of concrete.

I turn to Dani, a demand for explanation on my masked face.

"Does this mean I can mock you now?" she asks innocently.

I can't surprise a grin. I did say mock when you can hit. Danny outright laughs. The tension, if it had ever seriously been there, was gone now.

"Seriously!" Jazz cries, trying to get our attention back on Dani's capture and reappearance.

"We can figure it all out later." Dani now floats on her stomach, watching all of us with a grin. "Let's celebrate the fact that my long-lost cousin and I have been reunited."

Jazz groans as Dani demands ice cream from Danny and he agrees to get her some. They both fly intangibly towards the kitchen, where I know M'gann and Conner are.

It's silent for a minute.

Then, "What the heck?!"

Both Tucker and Jazz look down, avoiding eye contact. I look at Zatanna, who looks ready to shout a couple spells to get even with them.

"Z," I say calmly, attempting to placate her. She just holds up her hand.

"How much more are you going to keep from us? A freaking clone?! Batman's going to kill you! I'm going to kill you! Seriously, we've told you so much! We _trust_ you. But you can't trust us? With _this_?"

"Z!"

She whirls to me, looking breathless from her ill-worded rant.

"Zatanna," I continue, lowering my voice but keeping my tone firm and nonnegotiable. "Calm down. There's a certain level of trust we haven't achieved with Jazz and Tucker yet, and it's mutual. They don't trust us with Danny's secrets, which is understandable…" I rush through the last few words, cutting off Zatanna from trying to argue. "Because they're _his._ Now, let _them_ explain."

Tucker takes a deep breath. "Danny has a hero complex. He protects what's important to him, like his friends, family or town. He and Dani, while getting off to a rough start, grew pretty close when he decided to stabilize her. They're family. She stops by every so often to say where's she's been and give some souvenirs, but it's not very often. When she went off to look for Danny and we ended up here, at first we didn't say anything because we just forgot. Jazz barely knows anything about her, hadn't even met her until she found out Danny was gone, and honestly, I never really knew her either."

Jazz continues. "It simply wasn't pertinent."

"Wait, so at first it was because it didn't cross your mind as important, then it was to protect her?" Zatanna is just as angry, but now there's confusion there.

"No, it-" Tucker groans in frustration, his hand creeping towards his PDA again. "Ugh, no, Danny wanted to keep her existence a secret, so we never really talk about her and so we just kinda forgot. It wasn't an intentional secret! It just never came up."

Zatanna doesn't like the answer, but I see that she accepts it. After all, it's an honest mistake. I mean, if they're telling the truth, which I think they are.

"Why do you keep so many secrets from us?" she asks finally.

Jazz looks guilt-stricken, but determined. "They're Danny's. They're his to tell."

Tucker nods, tight-lipped.

"And there's nothing more to it than that," I conclude, turning and walking to where I know Danny and Dani are freaking out the rest of the team.

* * *

 **Sorry that took soooo long! I don't even know what happened, summer just disappeared. But I got this new laptop so maybe I'll write more! I need to fix some plot points, so bear with me. Criticism would be greatly appreciated because I can't figure out exactly what's wrong. Maybe I need more action? idk. _But_ Danny is getting his memories back _soon_. Like, next-chapter-or-the-one-after kind of soon.**


	33. Chapter 33

"It seems like there's more to this," M'gann argues weakly, gesturing to us. Dani's chatting, and I'm listening, eating ice cream and agreeing with nods and bright smiles. I'm following her dramatic telling of the time she went to ghost-Egypt (almost married to King Tut, yikes), but make sure to keep listening to the team's discussion on the other side of the room.

"It's like he totally remembers her," Wally comments. "I thought the whole thing with Danny was the not remembering."

"That didn't make sense," Artemis returns.

"It made enough," he shoots back, and their defenses immediately come up, preparing for a fight.

"Sorry to interrupt your latest romantic moment, but shouldn't we…" The words die on Robin's tongue and he falls quiet. Speechless. Huh. All I needed was an opposite gender clone… Who knew, right?

"And _that_ was when Rome entered the fight."

"Where did Rome come from?" I ask.

"Well _apparently_ they wanted me too. But because they hated me. I might have done something to their temple but I _swear_ it was an accident…"

"I just can't believe you didn't tell us," Zatanna grumbles.

"It wasn't important!" Jazz defends.

"Your stories aren't matching up!"

Silence from the team. I can practically hear the realization from Zatanna's heated comment.

Dani continues chatting, but I can tell she's waiting for the next comment. "And then I used a reverse Trojan horse- you know, when they steal something and you hide inside it… Because they totally fell for that… They thought it was an Egyptian rip off of their Artemis goddess, what was her name…"

"Minerva," I reply, tense at the obvious building of a war on the other side of the room.

"You said you were close, but not romantically. Like family. But not?" M'gann starts.

"You don't know who he was before he died, but were there when it happened?" Artemis continues.

"And most of your stories happen at the school, but he's dead." Conner folds his arms. "So how does he go to school? Does he just follow invisibly? Does he actually attend in disguise?"

"You said you weren't in the fight for a while, but if that's true, how did he get Fenton technology?" Wally directs at Jazz, who looks panicked at the demand.

Kaldur looks on at all this with a frown. "And you continue to evade questioning on any details of Danny himself. Who he was, who he is. You seem to be keeping memories from everyone, even him."

Robin looks on desperately. Everytime he attempts to say something, somebody else starts talking. The questions and distrust are too thick for him to quickly fix.

"And then there's the whole cloning thing-" Wally starts.

"Shut up!"

The team silences. Robin might not be able to fix this, but Dani...

"All of ya!" She glares at them, her eyes dangerous. I wonder if that's what I look like angry. "Jazz and Tuck have serious trust issues, and can ya blame them? They've kept secrets for Danny since he _died_. You guys are _heroes_. You are amazing and good and kittens getting along with puppies but you _judge_. You're judgey. If they thought you wouldn't accept a part of their lives, because you are judgemental and small minded, which you're probably not but everyone in Amity _is_ so can you blame them for thinking that? They wouldn't tell you crap to both protect Danny and themselves because I can see it in your eyes that you're still freaked out about ghosts."

"..."

"..."

Silence all around as Dani glares furiously and pants slightly from her rant.

I break it. "What even. Was that."

She turns to me, but I'm not prepared to take her wrath so I quickly stick her spoon of melty ice cream in her mouth when she opens it to yell. Instinctively, she holds it there. The picture is hilarious; her whole body tensed, her face the picture of anger and a spoon in her mouth.

"We're not freaked out about-"

"Oh you _so_ are!"

Artemis and Jazz turn to each other and look ready to fight.

Robin moves to get between them, arms up to physically keep them apart if necessary. Wally looks uncomfortable, not wanting to take either side, which I'm confused about until I remember…

Wally never really came near me, and I asked Robin about it once, and he only mentioned that he's a scientist and he's still grappling with the whole "after life" thing. He did that with magic, too. He's not taking a side because while Artemis is his girlfriend, he doesn't agree with what she's saying!

Which causes her to yell at him, he defends, Jazz takes his side and Robin starts trying to placate them. Megan then attempts to rationalize Wally's disbelief, and apparently her's too, but Tucker retorts, leading to Conner yelling a defense…

Soon it's just everyone yelling, everyone trying to talk whether to defend themselves, defend someone else, or deescalate the situation. Then, impulsively, Zatanna makes a cheap shot at their lack of concern about Sam's well-being in favor of mine.

Dani yells "That's it!" and joins the fight, yelling at Zatanna who yells back. I can't even make out words anymore. Just noise.

I kind of wish it would trigger a panic attack so they'd have something else to worry about. As far as I can tell, no one has any blame pinned on me. Kinda wish they did. Then I could defend.

This is what my secret is causing. Robin is keeping his word about not telling anyone of my probable half-n-half status, but maybe he should break it. Would that stop the fighting? It certainly explains a lot. But they're mad about the lies, not the secrets.

I'm not that desperate to keep this secret, am I? Before, I mean. So desperate to keep my human self hidden that I'll force my friend and sister to lie to their own friends for me? That's so selfish…

I need to fix this.

"Hey guys," I broach, but no one even glances in my direction.

Luckily, I don't need to do anything else, because the Zeta Beam powers up and announces Batman's arrival.

Nobody on the team acknowledge. I think that's the scariest they've been so far. I mean, we're in the living rooms, but still...

A minute later, Batman appears from the hallway. He must have heard the noise. He surveys and then looks at me.

I give a helpless gesture, earning me a bat-glare.

"Enough," Batman commands in that all-powerful voice of his. To my utter surprise, no one hears him. I mean, I know it's loud, and they're super angry at each other, but it's _Batman. The_ Batman. No one ignores him.

"Team!" While his voice is louder, there is no strain for attention there. It's loud and harsh enough to stop everyone in their tracks.

They realize who it is before backing away from each other, straightening into a line instead of a lump. Even Dani follows the pattern, floating between Conner and Kaldur with her hands behind her back. Batman pauses for only a second on her before glaring at the entire team.

I feel really awkward sitting on the counter. Like I tattled or something.

"Robin." He sounds almost accusing.

Robin is quick to defend, "I was trying to calm every-"

A simple narrowing of Batman's eyes is enough to silence Robin. He huffs, briefly pausing before explaining, "That there-" he points to Dani "-is Danny's clone. Also named Dani, so that's confusing. The team got mad when they learned Jazz and Tucker didn't tell us about her and it just escalated from there."

"There's a mission. Do any of you need to sit out?"

Everyone shakes their heads, looking like scolded children. Except Superboy and Dani. They look annoyed. Still, they shake their heads.

Even Dani.

"Not you, Dani," I chide, and she glares at me. "I think you should go home for a little bit."

Instead of another diatribe, she just nods. "Yeah, probably. Call me, cuz."

She gives me a wave and vanishes. Alarm shoots up my spine as I realize she's _gone_ , not invisible, but… gone. Where-

Whatever. It's not important. I mean, it is, but I can call her about it later, because apparently she's confident that I can do that. Sparing a couple moments, I let the swirling in my head go down, before placing the bowls Dani and I used in the sink and joining the team, which is filing down to the mission room.

Batman briefs like everything's normal, and to the team's effort, they try to act the same. Still, a deep line of resentment splits between Jazz and Tucker and everybody else. Robin and I don't know where to stand, and we share a look saying that.

Almost awkwardly, we hang at the edges, him on one side, me on the other, as Batman summarizes the mission we're about to go on.

It's not too different from most of our other one's: a GIW facility with connections to the light. This one has a public front, however. It's a research lab for Axion Labs, and it may have legitimate workers there.

Tucker looks surprised. "Aren't they setting up a contract with like four other companies right now?"

"Yes. Their background checks come up clean, however. The companies involved, excluding LexCorp, are likely to have had no knowledge of their connection to both the GIW and the light. Investigating through the GIW networks is the only way to find a connection."

For some reason, all I can think about is cereal. Batman starts fine-tuning the details, but my head can only think about cereal.

It's driving me nuts.

It's like the cereal is important. But it's not! Who cares about fruit loops, seriously!

"Don't worry, Batman, it's just like all the others. Get in, get the info, get out." Robin looks confident and gives everyone a smile.

Batman narrows his eyes, but I don't see malice there. "You've tripped the alarms at almost every one without fail."

"Yeah, I don't know what's up with that," he replies, shrugging his shoulders. "We shut down all the stuff and still manage to get caught. Anyhoo, we should be on our way."

He starts walking towards the bio-ship. The team starts trudging after his peppy step, looking disgruntled.

I go to Robin, flying beside his head. "He's right, though. I mean, you apparently started a fire and almost killed-slash-freed my apparent clone, got multiple concussions, and somehow managed to send an army after you every time."

"Must be a ghost thing," he answers, sounding more serious this time. "Even with Jazz and Tucker's experience, their technology is unfamiliar to us. And the whole unfamiliar ghost thing, too."

"What about it?"

"Every ghost has a seperate power and motive. It's like a whole dimension of enemies we don't understand. Don't worry, we can figure this out."

I have a feeling he's talking about everything, not just the mission-wise stuff.

"Hey, this is going to sound crazy, but is there any way fruitloops could have significance in this mission?" I ask, more hushed.

"Like the cereal?" I nod. "No, but I'll let you know if it comes up."

I love how he doesn't even bat an eye at my crazy request. But a quick glance backward informs me that Superboy thinks I'm plenty crazy. I whisper to Robin about it, and he just cackles.

We settle into the bioship, and M'gann takes off.

After a loaded silence, Superboy blurts, "You don't still see Sam, do you?"

Robin glares at him.

I'm not offended. I shrug. "Not really. At least, not right now."

He nods. "Okay."

"I can't believe them!" Wally snaps suddenly.

I hear another argument pending and close my eyes.

"Oh, shut up," Robin growls. "So what. So what?! Just leave them alone and let's do the mission."

"Aren't you mad?" he accuses.

"Nope. It's not as if I don't keep secrets from them. And secrets from you, to be honest. And then there's Kaldur with the mole problem, Artemis with her family, Conner with the patches, M'gann with her color, Wally with his disbelief and-" His voice steadily rises in volume and sternness before abruptly dropping out. "And Zatanna, I think you're clean."

I open my eyes to see her smile and eye-roll. The team looks heavy, and none of them say anything else, except for M'gann, briefly announcing arrival to the Zeta Beam that'll transport our ship to lower Illinois.

"We've all kept something that's compromised the team," Robin adds as an afterthought as we burst through the Zeta.

He's quiet after that.

"Sooo, we talking eye patches here?" I ask after the silence gets too heavy for me.

Superboy grunts. "They bridged my human DNA and gave me full kryptonian powers. They didn't come from the best place."

"I did that once," I muse.

My thoughts skid to a halt. "Wait, what?" Wally asks.

I shake my head, trying to dislodge the rest of that story. "I have... absolutely no idea." The team looks at each other, and then to me, then let it drop. I must look as bewildered as I feel.

"I can't wait for your memories to come back," M'gann sighs.

Robin chuckles. "You bridged your DNA?" I know he's laughing because he knows I'm half-human and no one else does. I just don't know why it's funny. "Maybe it's cuz your obsession."

"It would be a post-humanoid affect," Wally grumbles. I'm shocked at Robin's audacity. He's intentionally misleading the team… for me?

I marvel at his loyalty. We're good friends. But his team is… They're his family.

"Approaching our destination," M'gann announces.

"Robin, Phantom, deploy," Aqualad orders, all leader now.

"Not me?" Zatanna wonders. She'd been assigned to us earlier, as per usual.

"Perhaps a smaller scouting team is in place," he explains. "We still don't know what sets them off."

"Maybe it's me," I suggest.

"We did recon without you and got caught," Robin explains. "Now take us down."

I roll my eyes.

 _Mind link up,_ M'gann announces.

The team chimes almost in unison their separate sign-on phrases, including a gruff Aparato and Vision, and Robin and I drop from the bioship onto the roof of Axion Labs. He positioned it perfectly; camera blindspot.

Robin hands me a remote transmitter and I invisibly place it on the nearest camera. While Tucker and Robin work together to perform their hacking magic, I fly the area of the roof looking for anything we missed.

 _I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me_

 _HE'S JUST A POOR BOY WITH A POOR FAM-IL-EEE_

 _Guys, seriously…_

 _Sorry, KF, it helps Robin and I focus._

 _Uh-huh._

 _Yep! Speaking of which, EASY COME_

 _EASY GO_

 _Aaaand we're done!_

 _You_ both _suck._

I snort at Artemis's comment and sweep Robin into my arms bridal-style, and he protests loudly in our heads.

 _DANNY PUT ME DOWN I SWEAR I'M GOING TO-_

 _What's going on?_ Kaldur demands, probably worried I went rogue or something.

I send a mental image.

The team tries (and fails) to hold back snickers as I phase down into another facility.

It's a lot different than all the others we've been to. There is brown carpet and tan walls, with mirrors or pictures lining the hallways. As Robin and I do a quick sweep, we note the measures taken in the waiting areas and cubicles to look normal.

There are family pictures and half-done reports, disorder and scrawled notes.

 _It's probably a real office area,_ Robin muses, browsing a random area. He peeks inside the trash. _Hmm… Looks like this guy had a cold._

 _Gross. Stop messing with his trash. It's in there for a reason._

 _Yeah, well, it's also a great way to tell if this is all just a great setup or real._

I relent, but still urge him forward.

We don't find anything other than a couple night guards. I'm starting to think of this place as a normal office area.

Until I try to phase through the basement and am violently repelled by an unseen force. I barely hold intangibility, thankfully sparing Robin and I until we get out into open air. _We're locked out,_ I inform the rest of the team. _Might need a little assistance._

 _Understood. Team two, Zatanna, Miss Martian and Artemis go ahead._

As we wait, Robin tries hacking into a random computer, and I poke around. We stopped in an executive office. It has a private (locked) elevator, which I assume Aparato is already trying to hack.

I float around, noticing the extensive bookshelf that doesn't seem to be used at all. The books are all brand new. There's a weird green and gold scheme happening that doesn't seem to be working. There's chairs, desks, a couple potted plants with colorful flowers. Opposite to the main desk, there's a football on a pedestal in a glass case.

I read the several signatures. "Packers," I mutter.

Robin glances up from the computer, hands slowing but not stopping. "What?"

I murmur a "nothing" and continue poking around, but find nothing more than the disuse of the office. The only thing that seems to be extensively used is the phone and the desk chair, where Robin is perched on.

I go back to looking at the bookcases. The anticipation of a looming action scene causes time to move far slower, which is why Miss Martian and Zatanna seem to be taking so long. It's probably only been a couple minutes.

There are a lot of football books. What does one write for 400 pages about football, one wonders? I notice several finance books, and to my surprise, paranormal as well. A couple rows, too. A specific one seems to jump out at me. Not by title or significance or anything, but for some reason I know this book about ghosts is a pop-up.

With two fingers, I start to pull it back.

 _STOP HACKING!_ I shout over the mind link.

 _Why?!_ Both Aparato and Robin reply in an instant. The clacking of keys in the background ceases with the exclamation.

 _I think that's a false elevator-_ I wiggle my fingers, testing the weight of the lever and listening to the creak of the metal. _Because this is a secret passage._

 _How'd you find it?_

Zatanna's question follows with the girls coming in through the closed door. They shut it silently behind them, and Artemis comes up to me to inspect the book. Zatanna and M'gann stay by the door.

 _It… Popped out at me._ I resist the urge to smirk. It's really hard.

Artemis gives me an odd look. "Well…" She reaches forward and pulls back on my hand, fully pulling back the book. The bookcase retracts back into the wall before sliding right, revealing another elevator.

Robin gets out from behind the desk and inspects it, then the other elevator. _So… That one's a trap?_

 _Maybe._ I shrug. _Who knows._

 _You?_ Zatanna teases with a raise of her eyebrow. I give her a small smile and fly closer to the elevator.

It's closed, and Robin plugs in his cord to the keypad beside it. _Handprint lock. Dang, this thing is sophisticated. A brunt force program would take four hours to bust through this code._

 _Shoot, no kiddin. I can start, but I'd try to find another way in._

Robin's frown deepens at Aparato's assessment, leaning back to look around. There's no other elevator that we can tell, given the other is probably a fake and/or a trap, and no people to interrogate/possess, so we're at a loss.

 _Any ideas?_ Artemis asks.

 _Um. Air ducts?_ Robin suggests.

Artemis looks up at the vent blowing in air. _No, too small._

 _Maybe Danny or Megan could shift smaller, though._

Miss M and I share a look, both urging the other to try.

 _Wait… I doubt there would be air duct running all the way underneath, given their caution with everything else,_ Robin rationalizes.

 _They have to get air-_

"What are you children doing in here?" demands a voice from behind us. We all whirl to the guard that had walked in. He looks at us with a look of stern authority, before taking a step back. "Wait… You're heros! You aren't children…" He reaches for something in his belt and everyone jumps into action.

Zatanna lets out a spell to freeze his tongue, as the object he withdrew was a radio. Robin flips onto the guy's back, sending him to the ground. His breath comes out of him in one gasp as he hits the ground.

Artemis picks up the fallen radio, then sends a look to Robin. _This thing has a panic button, and it's flashing. Backup's on its way._

Robin's frown deepens. _Aqualad?_

 _Perhaps a tactical retreat is-_

Robin's momentary distraction allows the guard, who was more trained than originally thought. He gets out from underneath Robin with a violent movement that throws him off awkwardly enough that he can't switch momentum into any type of acrobatic move. He hits his shoulder rather hard on the edge of the doorframe.

The guard withdraws a gun and fires five shots in rapid succession at the four of us. They aren't bullets but flashes of light. Immediately after the first shot is fired at Zatanna, I grab M'gann, who is closest to me, and turn intangible. Artemis and Zatanna, who were closest to the guard and his first two targets, fall limply with the blows to their chests, but Robin manages to get a minimal hit on only his left arm, while Miss M and I are unharmed completely.

M'gann rips out his weapon with her telekinesis while Robin stands and delivers a kick to his stomach. He's wearing a vest, but is still shoved back. He panics and pulls out something entirely random: a prod like weapon that crackles with electricity.

It's not a taser; that's on the other side of his belt. But it still looks painful, and he sends it towards Robin's stomach.

Robin told me once that his suit can withstand several electric shocks without much harm to himself, so he allows the prong to come closer so he can get in another hit.

But in an instant, my vision tunnels and the world slows to syrup. All I see is the weapon, and without knowing what it does, without knowing quite sure why it's familiar, the recent save of M'gann gives me the deepest impression that I _need it._

I feel like I'm dissolving, and suddenly I'm directly in front of Robin, looking into the terrified but determined night guard, the weapon delving into the suit I wear. One instant of shock on the guard's face, of the feeling of the tip on my stomach, before the electricity shoots into me, breaking the slowed time spell.

The pain shutters through me, targeting the center of my chest… My core.

It convulses in my chest, throwing out a ring of light that surrounds me. There's protest against the electricity and my core, both seeming to fight against each other, as my world tilts. I fall to the side, but the world seems to tilt down instead of up. I faintly feel the carpet.

My core fails and the ring splits, traveling both up and down. Light and color flood me in an instant, too bright and loud to decipher, a flash. My vision comes back for a split second, and I turn my head, trying to spot something familiar. It's all blurry.

A shape. Robin? Black hair, black mask, limp arm, uncertain face. A pressure at my neck.

My vision blacks out, but I feel what the pressure feels…

A heartbeat.

* * *

 **I know I took forever. So long chapter, and finally a human Danny. An eye for an eye... wink wink**

 **Oh my gosh I'm so funny I can't even**


	34. Chapter 34

I can barely stand these idiots. They won't shut up. I mean, I love them; they're my team and they're great.

But:

Zatanna's in a simmering rage. Make that three, if you count Artemis and Conner. Wally's having an existential crisis, Kaldur's reserved and silent, and M'gann is in a pouty "I can't believe this" mood. The whole lot just need a good punch. That knocks them out.

M'gann shut down the mind link after Connor snapped at her to. She just kept repeating, "Oh my gosh" in some kind of shock. Seriously, what's up with this team? What happened to being calm and collected in the face of surprise? I guess this just never occurred to them though.

I get it. They're all feeling betrayed. But their emotions are running from them.

I take another glance at the stretcher that once again holds Danny, quickly checking his vitals-vitals that didn't exist until about half an hour ago, before returning to my reserved seat of ignoring these people.

"Don't yell at her! She'll cry!" Connor snaps at Wally.

"I'm not yelling!" he yells back.

"They're getting an earful when we get back." Artemis leans back in her chair, not bothering with Wally in her state of mood.

Zatanna glares, sniping a reply, "They better get a dismissal from Batman."

"Whoaa, too far," I decide, entering the conversation. "Don't say that! They were protecting him!"

"Why are you protecting them?" Connor demands in reply.

"Mount Justice," M'gann announces quietly.

For a moment, the team silences, trying to decide what's going to happen when they get inside. I seize Danny's stretcher and the second the bioship lands, I push him at a fast walk towards the medbay. He doesn't need to be brought into this. He needs medical attention.

As I leave the probably screaming team, I take the time to marvel at Danny's transformation. His heart is beating. His white hair is black, almost like mine, but he has more. There's no glow surrounding his skin anymore, and it's pretty pale.

His scars are still there, and he has heavy bags under his eyes. I'm also concerned about his weight; his ghost side ate, but not as often as a human would. That meant he wasn't eating enough for his human form.

After performing a couple scans to make sure he isn't internally bleeding or something, I prepare him for an IV, swabbing his elbow.

"Robin."

I don't look at Batman, just insert the IV and put the piece of tape over it for security.

"Don't you ignore me too. I got enough of that from the rest of your team."

I resist the urge to smile, but fail. It still shows strain, though. Batman looks at the human Danny with a deep frown.

"Quite the secret."

He sounds like Alfred. I glance back at Danny, nodding.

"You aren't yelling, though."

Oh… I see. He expects me to be mad too. I usually yell when I'm mad. Or push it down and train. Punch concrete. You know. "That's because I'm not mad." I move away from Danny's bed and face Batman. "I already knew."

No reaction. He simply looks at the sleeping Danny and the heart monitor again. "I can't say I'm surprised. You and Phantom are close. He saw you first when he was rescued, you _were_ the one who rescued him. It happens often with abduction victims." He moves over to Danny and performs a couple simple tests I'd already conducted. "If he were to reveal this to anyone, it would be you."

"Actually. Remember when he had that panic attack in Amity?" A nod. "And we were supposed to go in and find out what was going on, but Danny only really trusted me to do that? Yeah. We said it revealed nothing, but it revealed this. It's how he lost his memories; it's _why_. If they knew he was a ghost… He made sure no one could tell what he was, even himself."

Batman regards me. Then accepts the information.

"Why aren't you freaking out? I thought you of all people would be the most offended. You found out they were lying all along, and you were just like 'okay'."

For an instant, Batman has a smile. As quick as it's there, it's gone. "Maybe I already knew," he mimics me.

"No." A second of silence. Then my eyes widen. "Seriously?"

"I researched this. There were four people frequently seen around Phantom. Danny Fenton was one of them. When we ran into Jazz and Tucker, I reopened the investigation. Phantom and Manson were erased by the government. Danny Fenton was erased by a different entity."

"Tucker?" I'm shocked, but it makes a weird kind of sense. "Tucker erased Danny, because if the GIW knew that Danny and Phantom went missing at the same time…"

We don't say it. We know.

"And if they brought him up… His secret would be in danger. He wouldn't just be abducted and _tortured_ …" I spit out the word. "He'd be at risk of dying... all the way. You didn't say anything?"

"Neither did you," he reproves. "Nothing was certain. I only knew they looked the exact same; it could mean possession, coincidence. I needed more data before I approached anyone about it."

He looks at me expectantly, waiting for my explanation, probably. I offer it. "He swore me to secrecy. He didn't want to give anyone false hope or plant seeds of doubt if it turned out he could never turn back or if he was…" I pause, searching for different words. "Full ghost."

Batman accepts that. "Go to your team. This is your own team, and if they follow through on expelling Jazz and Tucker, I can't stop them. And frankly, they belong here."

He leaves with that. I spend a couple minutes trying to figure out what to do, pacing a little, checking Danny's vitals every few steps. Then, I walk out into the chaos.

I don't even want to follow the conversation. There's just yelling. Jazz and Tucker want to see Danny, probably, but are fighting for their position on this team. Just walking in, I can tell they've already been asked to leave, but they are trying to argue their point.

"Shut up!" I cry. I just keep shouting it until they quiet. "They had _reasons_! Leave them the frick alone."

"Stop defending them!" Wally shouts. "Why aren't you betrayed? This kind of information, that your dead friend is actually alive, that seems like something that would offset even you, oh great protege of the Batman!"

I toy with the idea of shouting that I already knew. That a protege of Batman would investigate and figure it all out. Instead, I retort with, "They kept secrets, I kept secrets, you-"

"Oh shut up with that! There are personal secrets and there are secrets you just don't keep!"

"Unless you are keeping them to protect someone else!"

"Yeah," snarks Artemis. "Themselves."

"Golden rule of superheroism! No revealing identities," I try.

"It's not just about that. They used us to find their friend, then didn't bother to tell us anything about him." Conner looks deeply offended. He has that hard look in his eyes.

"We didn't use you-" Jazz tries to protest.

Tucker tries something else. "We came for help-"

The team starts to dissolve. I've lost them. I can't have them turn on me, because they won't listen for anything. I can't choose a side! How do I defend without losing Jazz and Tucker or the rest of my team?

Sigh. There's only one thing to do.

"DICK GRAYSON!" I scream in frustration. The fight hadn't really picked up pace again yet, so my voice is terrifyingly loud. Everyone heard. No turning back. "Dick Grayson!" I yell again, but much less loud. The team looks confused, except for Wally, Kaldur and Zatanna, who have wide open eyes.

"W-"

I cut off Tucker. "That's my name. I'm Richard Grayson of Gotham. Yes, that means Bruce Wayne, my adoptive guardian, is Batman. I didn't tell you. I wasn't protecting anyone. Maybe myself, if any of you turned out to be sleeper agents. Batman's paranoia, you know."

"This isn't going to fix-" Conner begins.

"Nope. But how can they leave now, knowing my identity? I revealed it to all of you. I _trust all of you._ Jazz and Tucker included. I trust them and you enough to disobey freaking Batman."

Silence.

Then.

"Wow."

As one, we look to the voice. To Danny's voice. He's in a pair of jeans and a NASA t-shirt, leaning against the wall of the hallway. His hair is a mess, falling all over his face, and he has a lopsided smile and tired eyes. He pushes from the wall. "Does that trust include me?"

I cock an eyebrow, even if he can't see it behind my mask. "I guess."

Conner looks annoyed, probably because he didn't know Danny was there because of his anger. "Danny?" Jazz asks.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

He looks down at himself. "As okay as I'll ever be, being half dead and all."

"I'm so sorry we didn't tell you-"

"You're sorry you didn't tell him?!" Zatanna demands.

"Do you want an apology?!"

"No, I want you off the team!"

"Whoa," Danny comments helpfully, furrowing his eyebrows, watching the team reduce to anger again.

I sigh. "I know."

"I kinda hoped that me walking in would stop it."

"Cuz you have that kind of power."

"No, I have that kind of _presence_." I smirk at him, and he returns it.

"How'd you even know they were fighting?"

"Heard it. It didn't wake me up, but I could definitely hear it from the med bay. Honestly, I feel like every other time I wake up it's in there."

I bark a laugh, still focused on the fight. "So. Was our theory correct?"

I glance at him when I don't receive an immediate answer. My response is the biggest grin I've ever seen him wear.

"You want to tell them?"

"I'm waiting to jump into the conversation with my supreme knowledge," he informs me. "They're not giving any openings."

"Oh please!" M'gann, who is floating on the edge of the group, turns to us. "Are you two keeping secrets now too?"

Zatanna groans. "You are? What is it now? Evil twin brother? You two are secretly related? Or dating? Maybe-"

Danny and I look at each other, then shudder. "Ew, no, Zatanna!" Danny laughs, still in good humor. "I could never win that fight against you!"

I suck in a breath and in a low voice, mutter, "Danny, I'm going to _kill_ you."

That's a taboo topic. Everyone knows about Zatanna and I, but you're not supposed to say it out loud. Zatanna's cheeks heat up, and we look anywhere but at each other.

"Again?" He laughs. "Way to kick a guy while he's down, Dick."

I can't tell if he's calling me a name or by my name. There aren't really any names I can call him, so I think back to the weird comment about cereal before our last mission. "Fruitloop."

He blinks, shocked, before throwing back his head and laughing. The team is now stupefied at our good humor, and Jazz and Tucker look at each other. Is "fruitloop" like a thing? What's up with that? Why didn't anyone use cheerios?

"I'm not-" Danny laughs a couple times again. "I'm not a fruitloop! That's…" He sucks in a quick breath. "That's Vlad! I'm the 'Little Badger'." He air quotes it.

I tilt my head. Vlad's the evil dude. Weird nickname. "Well, I guess it's better than Boy Blunder. Seriously. I'm an acrobat."

"Wait, Little Badger?" Jazz cuts in. "We never told you that nickname."

"Oh, right," Danny beams. "Did I not tell you? Robin and I already knew I had a human side, and that when I turned back, all my memories would be there waiting for me. So, yeah. They're all back." He gives the most innocent smile I think I've ever seen. No wonder the team never blamed him for any kept secrets. He looks about as innocent as a puppy.

"Wait, you do?! Who am I? What's my name?" Tucker demands. He and Jazz are instantly in front of Danny, both shooting questions about his life. He laughs a little to himself again, trying to get them to back off.

"Let me see if I can get all these questions right: Jasmine Madeline Fenton, Tucker Foley, I'm Danny James Fenton, your beloved brother. I died when I was fourteen, disappeared what, sixteen? Like a week after I got my license. I've only driven twice. That sucks. Anyway, I want to be an astronaut and yes, I am single, Tucker, not dating Sam… OH SAM!"

His rant ends, which didn't really answer their specific questions. The team looks stunned.

Danny closes his eyes briefly, then opens them. They're glowing green, scary determined. He looks to the team. "Okay, I'm going to be brief as I can. Here's the thing: Jazz and Tucker were scared, and they didn't know what to do. On Team Phantom, they were definitely the followers. Jazz is a psych genius, Tucker's a tech genius. But when Sam and I disappeared, they didn't know what to do. They thought they had to protect everything I was, and they. Were. Right. If the the Guys in White knew I was half human…" He shakes his head, trying to dispel a memory. His eyes are back to blue, which is good. The green was freaking me out.

"It's not important. Robin and I kept from you that we suspected I would get my memories back because we weren't sure if they were still there. My ghost half forgot everything to protect my human side, and I forgot everything, even how to change back. So I didn't change back. Didn't even know if I could. Everything done was to protect someone. Jazz and Tucker protected me from you-slash-the-Guys-in-White, and protected me from my memories so my hero complex wouldn't revolt on me when I learned I had another life where I protected an entire city that I hadn't protected in almost a year.

"So we're going to make this simple. I have memories back. I can get Sam back. If you want, we can leave right now and give you guys a clean break from all the secrets, though there aren't much left at this point... _Or_ you can wipe the slate. Which is it gonna be?"

"I'm all for it!" I exclaim.

"No!" Danny glares, pointing a finger at me. "Not you."

I pout. "I'm still all in."

"Sweeten the deal, we'd take Robin with us."

"Hey!"

Aqualad gives a small smile. "While that certainly sounds appealing-"

"HEY!"

"I'm willing to let this go."

"Nah, I'd miss Robin too much," Zatanna relents, relaxing her hostile pose. "But I swear, you have _got_ to go out with me."

"Say it backwards," I tease.

"Og tuo htiw em."

"Well now I have to, don't I?" I say with a grin.

Conner clears his throat. "I'm in too." I'm surprised. I figured he'd be the last to let it go. He holds grudges forever.

Artemis is next. "And me." She and Jazz hold a look and share a small smile.

M'gann agrees and her melancholy mood melts away. Everyone looks at Wally, who's folding his arms and glaring.

He huffs at our hopeful looks. "Well of course I don't want you guys to leave! It's just… ghosts! Half ghosts! Where's the science?!"

Danny looks around. "Literally everywhere. Ectoplasm is the flip side of matter that makes up Earth. While every atom of this world has a specific purpose, ectoplasm is good for every purpose. It has every form, holds energy, is malleable… It has every function. Including fusing to DNA. My DNA was infused with it by electricity, which spreads the information through the body. By summoning the ectoplasm-another one of its functions, by the way- my DNA inverts, which also changed the colors." He smiles.

"Whoa…" Tucker breathes. "When did you learn that?"

Danny shrugs with a smile. "Gotta learn something from dad's rambling, right?"

"If this is all cleared up, might I ask, where _is_ Sam?" Kaldur asks.

Danny's brows furrow. "I'm not 100% sure. But I've got a good guess. Settle in, kids, it's time for another story.

"When Sam and I were taken, there was a lot of noise and confusion. They pinned me with ghost-proof stuff, but Sam fought them all with weapons I don't remember giving her. Anyway, they outmanned her. They probably would've let her go, but they saw us work as a team… I guess they assumed she was under my control or something.

"There was a van, she and I both ended up in there. Still, I wasn't too worried at this point. I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve. I almost went human, but Sam insisted that's the worst possible move I could make. She and I were in there for a really long time. We constantly tried to get out, and they eventually knocked us both out. I woke up in one of those cots that two people carry, but I didn't pretend I was awake until I was set down. They took off my cuffs, assuming I was still asleep, and I attacked.

"I flew through several hallways, trying to find Sam. She was in a room with a couple agents and a dude with a wicked scar…" He fingers it down his face, and I immediately think of Vandal Savage.

"Long hair, infinite knowledge and wisdom?" Wally asks sarcastically.

"Yeah."

Oh, _great_. It _is_ Savage.

"Vandal Savage," Kaldur finishes.

"So Savage. He was interrogating Sam, who was in this chair. Anyway, I freed her, but security caught up. The room was ghost shielded off, and Sam and I made our final stand against at least fifty agents in basic ghost ability battle suits. I used all my biggest attacks, but was overwhelmed. I lost sight of Sam, but I heard a cry and a flash of green light and the Savage dude said 'Interesting'. Then I lost consciousness."

Tucker speaks first. "So basically you have no idea what happened to her."

His eyes twinkle as he grins at Tucker. I wonder if this is the real Danny, or if he's just trying to use his newfound memories to force back all the horrible ones. We really should get him in to see Black Canary. "One would think. But I think what Savage was questioning Sam on was the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire, which were strangely there."

"Why would he want those?"

"They're ultimate power, dude," he laughs. "Wait. Do you seriously not remember?" I resist the urge to point out the ironic moment of Danny berating _Tucker_ for not remembering.

"What?"

"The whole ghost meeting where we all reminisced about the Ghost King before we fought him? Dude, you were there!"

"I don't…" He looks confused. "Oh, right. Yeah, I wasn't paying attention."

Danny rolls his eyes. "Well, they have to be used together, and only a certain kind of ghost can safely bear the stress of its power. Only two known right now, and that's the original Ghost King and yours truly. Sam wasn't one of them."

I realize what he's saying. "She tried to use them, but the power overwhelmed her."

"So it destroyed her?" Tucker asks softly, horrified.

"No! At least, I don't believe so. I think it might have…" He looks conflicted, like he's trying to put the words together like a puzzle. "Absorbed her. Into its power."

"Why do you think?" Wally asks. Somewhere during this conversation, he'd ended up with his arm around Artemis.

"It happened to me once. I was stuck in a pocket dimension of another ghost. There was no way out. How I got out, though… I reached out to my friends beyond the mirror with my mind. I wrote messages, opened lockers. Stuff like that. Sam could be doing something similar."

"Amo?" Superboy asks. "I thought that was a product of your leftover memories."

"Maybe. But maybe not. It makes sense. Sure, I'm crazy, and all, but it would explain a lot!"

"Or…" Jazz trails off.

He closes his eyes in conflict before smiling again, though this time it's a little more forced. "Either way, we have to get those items back. She could be gone. She could be in them. We won't know until we have the Ring of Rage and Crown of Fire."

Megan laughs suddenly, then explains herself when we give her weird looks, "Minutes ago we were threatening to take you off the team, but you give us most of our missions at this point." She laughs again, then shakes her head.

"Remember when we didn't have any?" I reminisce, though I can't say I miss those days.

The team agrees and Danny disagrees. I elbow him in the side. "You weren't there."

"Which is why I don't remember," he argues. "And now I feel left out. Hey guys, remember when there weren't attacks literally every other hour?"

Tucker and Jazz look at each other, then shake their heads. "But to be fair," Tucker continues, "You were the one who woke up and took care of them."

"Yeah, because you're lazy!"

"Don't pretend you weren't either."

"Who saved the town every other week?!"

"Since you both failed nearly every one of your classes, ghost fighting or not, I think it's safe to call it a tie."

 _Maybe,_ M'gann speaks in all of our heads, _We should let them catch up. We can plan this mission later._

The team choruses agreements, and we leave as a whole. When Danny attempts to call us out on it, we all insist we have other obligations. He doesn't argue too badly. I'm sure he wants to talk with his sister and best friend with his memories intact.

I slide up next to Zatanna. "Hey, want to take me up on that date?"

She cocks an eyebrow, but switches her path from her room to the Zeta Beam. "Right now?"

"You're the one who said it backwards," I retort.

"Recognized Robin, B-01, Zatanna, B-07."

* * *

 **Heeeey**

 **So here's the thing.**

 **I thought that this chapter wasn't done, but I was rereading it a couple days ago and realized it was completely done and it was the next chapter I hadn't finished yet. And that I left it on the worst cliffhanger.**

 **So there you are! MMMy bad**


	35. Chapter 35

"You don't have to do this," Jazz insists, fidgeting with the end of her ponytail.

I roll my eyes. "And what, just be gone forever?" I look at the obnoxious building that hadn't changed a single bit in a full year. "Besides. I miss them."

"Okay. Yeah, I mean, of course. You remember the cover story, though, right?"

I smirk at her. "I did come up with it, didn't I?"

Side by side, we climb the steps and approach the door. I feel weird opening it, like I should knock or something. But I don't, and with two more steps, I'm back in my house.

"Mom, Dad!" Jazz calls. "Where are you guys?"

"Living room," comes the reply from my mom.

"Living room?" I ask her softly.

She shrugs. "They have a weird grieving pattern. They're in the stage where they sit in the living room toying with something and being melancholy. And weird. Did I mention their weirdness?"

"Who are you talking to, Jazzy?" my dad calls.

Jazz grabs my hand and pulls me forward. "Come on. Let's do this."

My feet suddenly feel like lead weights.

Mom is reading in an armchair, and dad is on the couch, sewing. Like a weirdo. "Mom, Dad, I'm talking to Danny."

They both jerk their eyes up, searching Jazz before landing on me.

I've never seen my parents so speechless. There's an awkward moment where I realize my hand is still in Jazz's and pull out of it, briefly looking down to make sure she's not still touching me. When I look back up, there are tears in my mom's eyes.

"Danny-boy?" my dad asks in almost a trance. Then he jumps to his feet. "Danny!" In one bound, he's closed the distance between us, and before I can protest he pulls me into a bone-crushing hug.

I wheeze, trying to simultaneously return the hug and shift so I can breathe. "Dad!"

"We looked for you everywhere, my boy! We even filed with the police, even though we all know they don't do anything-"

"That's great Dad, but-"

Okay, seriously? Can't breathe.

"Jazzy made us stop going on searches because-"

"Ja~ck?" my mom chides in that singsong voice.

"Maddie! Look, it's Danny!" He swings me around to show her.

"I know, honey. I see. But I think he can't breathe."

My dad blinks, then looks down at me. "Oh." He drops me, and I stumble, sucking in a breath. Then he slaps me on the back, like he can dislodge my breathing problem. I stumble again with another gasp.

"Dad!" Jazz protests.

"I'm fine," I assure my family, waving my hand. I regain my balance and stand straighter, coming face to face with my mom. I open my mouth to explain, or greet her, but she hugs me faster than I can speak.

Her hug is gentler but no less intense. Surprised, I tense, but then return the hug.

"Mom-"

She jerks back at the sound of my voice, suddenly furious. "You have a lot of explaining to do, young man. You worried your father and I sick, to put it lightly. We thought the worse! And so did the Mansons, worrying about Sam. So start talking." She glares at me, and for a second my excuses fail me. "Well?"

"I-" I shake my head, then give a little laugh. It turns into a laughing fit, and I'm reduced to unintelligible giggles. My mom's frown deepens, unimpressed.

"Danny?" my dad asks, confused.

My sister puts a hand on my shoulder, worried. "Danny, what's up?"

I wave off her hand, straightening from my bent position and forcing the giggles down. "I'm- HA, sorry, I'm sorry, it's not funny, none of this is funny, I just- Haha… It's so good to see you guys again!"

My dad beams and my mom relents a tiny smile, but still looks angry.

"Do you remember the portal accident when I was fourteen?"

Surprised, they agreed.

"Well… I didn't just get hurt. Something happened in that portal with the electricity and the ectoplasm, and I got… well, ghost powers."

They blink in confusion. I continue the story of Danny Phantom before I can lose my nerve, knowing I couldn't do it if I dwelled on their reaction.

Jazz didn't want me to tell them. She kept it from them the entire time I was gone, knowing it'd probably hurt them to know. There's no proof, for one, and Jazz pointed out that they hated Phantom and would probably be horribly guilty for the way they treated him. Plus, they'd be mad at her for the secret she kept.

But I insisted that they needed to know.

At least about Phantom.

"So… yeah."

I rub my neck, suddenly feeling hot under my parents' soundless stares.

"Guys?"

Jazz gives an "I told you" huff, folding her arms.

My mom blinks. "I'm sorry, sweetie. This is just a lot to take in in five minutes." She closes her eyes and shakes her head. "Why did you keep this from us?"

I don't answer. They answer that for themselves.

"Danny Phantom…" My dad trails off. "Of course he'd be you, son! He's a hero!" He smiles, seemingly bursting with pride. I'm taken aback at the sudden emotion. "You're a hero, Danny! Maddie and I were foolish to believe otherwise, even if we didn't know you were him."

Okay, one down. One to go.

"I don't understand… Why does that explain why you were gone?" my mom asks. My heart plummets. What if she doesn't… If she doesn't accept my other half, she and my dad could get divorced and…

"The Guys in White," Jazz answers for me. "They took him."

"Yeah," I continue, still freaking out inside. "Sam and I were out taking care of a ghost, and they jumped us. We escaped, though, but in our final battle, they had a psychic ghost that scrambled our heads. We still managed to get away, but we didn't know each other, so we kinda went separate ways. I don't know where she is… a group of heroes found me because I guess I was in Central City… I'm not sure. My head was all messed up and I don't remember almost any of it. But they helped fix my head.

"I was still an amnesiac. I stayed with them until my memories were triggered. Then I sought out Jazz first, because I didn't know if you guys would accept my ghost form… And Jazz helped me turn back and now… Here we are."

I rock back on my heels, feeling awkward again.

"How long were you with the heroes?" my mom asks.

"All of it except a few scrambled days." I keep the time to a strict minimum. Don't need them worrying the worst about missing weeks or months. And yeah, this is my cover story. They never get to know what happened to me in that facility. Jazz and Tucker is already too bad.

My dad sings their praises for a minute, but my mom is still silent.

"I'm sorry if this is too much. I know you guys hate ghosts and if you want I can stay with the heroes, but I knew I had to at least tell you what had happened, but I understand if-" I pause, looking at the ground. "If this is too much." I stare at the ground before peeking up at my mom to see her reaction.

"There will be no. Such. Thing." My mom's voice is final. "You are no less my son. In fact, it may make you more my son. You are a ghost hunter. A hero, like your father said. Don't _ever_ think I won't be able to take what you can dish out." She closes the distance and wraps me in another hug. "You're my son. No matter what species you happen to pick up."

I laugh and return her hug. My dad gives us a dwarfing hug, pulling Jazz into it against her weak protests.

The rest is a little too sappy to tell.

* * *

"How'd parents go?" Robin chirps from the high wire. He's walking on his hands, his body bent in a curve to maintain balance. I was training, but decided to watch Robin put on a brilliant acrobatic show.

"Clingy," I respond, "But nice. Really, really nice."

"Yeah, I'd imagine," he chuckles. His legs flip forward and he lands on his feet, one in front of the other. The rope sways and shakes, but Robin tilts his weight to compensate. He doesn't even raise his arms. It's very impressive.

"Do a flip!"

Without hesitation, he flips back on his hands and lands back on his feet, but he holds onto the cable, staying in a crouch. I almost boo, but he jumps, swinging his legs around the cable and back into the air. He jerks his legs higher, shifting his hands so he can handstand on the cable.

It dips and sways too much, though, and he swings back down.

"Cool," I say, putting my hands on my hips.

He glares. "Shut up. I'm amazing."

"I wasn't arguing."

He looks unconvinced. Then, he drops his hands and falls to the floor, landing in a crouch. I clap enthusiastically.

"Yeah, yeah. It's your turn."

He straightens and folds his arms with a smirk. I raise and eyebrow. "Yeah, that's simply not even possible."

"First, yes it is." He wags his finger at me. "You can morph your body. Second, that's not what I meant." He walks over to the training supplies and starts rummaging through it. "You do have to strength train in your human form, but in your ghost-" He comes out with a large high tech gun. "It's all power."

"Are you going to shoot me?" I ask curiously. "That'd be fun."

He laughs. "Actually, yeah. I'll shoot at you, and your job is to freeze the blasts and then blast them with ectoplasm."

I furrow my brows, wary of the way he holds the gun; excited, bouncing on the balls of his feet, lazy smile. "Um… What's that going to do?"

"All kinds of things! Reaction time, hand-eye coordination, reflexes. I want to see what's luck and what's skill."

"Well, luck is pretty much my best super power, so-"

He squeezes off several shots before I can finish talking. My reaction is to immediately throw up a shield or go intangible, but I linger in indecision about shooting them or not and lose my chance to do anything.

There are four shots on my torso, one on my shoulder and one on my leg. The majority miss, but those that do hit me feel like hard baseballs. I manage not to fall over, though, so. That's a plus.

"Ouch!" I whine. "I'm going to have bruises for a week!" I massage my shoulder, even though my pride is more injured than the blow.

Robin gives me a disappointed frown. "What was that? Where were your high-tuned reflexes from years of hero fighting?"

I narrow my eyes, letting my arms drop to my sides. "I haven't done it for a year."

He looks thoughtful. "No, I don't think that's it. Reflexes honed like that don't just go away. I saw you react in like three different ways before the shots hit you."

"Then what do you think it is?"

"I think you're too comfortable with me." His mouth twists in concentration. "You don't expect me to hurt you. But you should prepare for any possibility."

I groan. "I know…"

"Danny."

I refocus on him.

"It's pretty clear that you're powerful. But you're not trained. Your style is all street and no discipline. Your attacks are imaginative but unfocused. You aren't physically fit despite your strength and you have no realm of understanding of how your physiology works."

I tilt my head. "So I suck?"

"Pretty much." He smirks. "You're like Superboy when he first started. All power, no technique."

I fold my arms. "Rude."

"And don't get me started on your endurance. How long can you go, actually?"

"Long enough."

"To do what?" His smile drops again, and he looks serious. "Fight how many different enemies at once? We're getting deeper into this plot and they're getting better at defending themselves from you."

"That's why we have the team."

"Stop giving yourself the easy way out! If you really want to be a hero, Danny, you have to focus. You have to train. Be better than your enemies. Outsmart them every single time. Have backups and contingencies. Otherwise, you'll fail, and you'll get _caught_ again!"

"I won't-"

"You _will_!"

I stop floating, drop my feet on the ground. My face feels hot. I'm so angry my ice core feels like fire. I'm so _angry_ at Robin for having the audacity of saying these things, and even more angry that he's right. And that it only took a few comments.

"Fine," I bite out, "Shoot me."

Robin nods once, then lets out another barrage of shots. My ice pulses into a wave, freezing them solid and pushing their momentum to a stop. They clash to the ground. Robin reminds me to destroy them as well, not finishing his sentence before releasing more shots.

After I start destroying and freezing, he's constant, shooting me in every direction, even a few wide shots that I purposefully ignore. He sucks at shooting.

Still, they get too far apart for me to simply pulse into ice, so I'm forced to create smaller and more intense rays to pick them off. After a while, I start to crack in concentration, and the attacks only grow more intense. I'm starting to get exhausted from the mental concentration of destroying the blasts and the pain of getting knocked down when I don't.

Finally deciding I'm finished, I turn intangible, letting all the shots go through me.

"Keep going."

"I'm good," I pant, glaring at him.

"Then stop me."

He looks fully ready to fight me to the teeth for the gun, but I'm simply too drained for a Robin on Phantom fight. I launch at him intangibly.

He darts back, light on his feet. Okay. Smart. He knows he can't touch me, so he'll have to evade me.

I just need to be faster. I make a fast grab for the gun, but again he parries out of reach, putting space between us.

For a second, I debate, floating in the air and staring at Robin, who's now at least twenty feet from me.

He shoots, and I ignore it, because I'm intangible, only to realize too late that I'd dropped it when I figured it wouldn't work. I'm pelted back a few feet.

"See," Robin deadpans, gesturing with the gun, "you're way too comfortable around me."

I growl and turn invisible. To my surprise, all Robin does is relax. I launch forward, aiming my hands for the gun, but in a fluid motion, Robin ducks into a somersault, completely avoiding me. I go sprawling into the open air.

Charging my hands, I opt to simply shoot him the way he's been shooting me. My energy's too depleted for a strong blast, anyway, so he'll be fine.

He stands in a relaxed pose, and I aim carefully for his hands before letting the shot fly. At almost Wally speeds, he's out of the way of the blast.

"How'd you _do_ that?" I demand. His pose tightens and he lets off two deadly accurate shots to the center of my body. I quickly turn intangible.

He distances himself again. "You're honestly asking me if I saw the neon green balls of energy hurling towards me?" I make another weak attempt to snatch the gun via a dive in my flight, but again, he parries. "I can hear you, Danny."

"I'm a ghost. How can you possibly hear me?"

"You breathe, even though I doubt you need to. You talk. You aren't intangible, so the air rushes around you. And…" He pauses for a minute. "You… crackle."

"I _crackle_?"

"Yeah. Like a TV. Kind of. I don't know, it's really subtle. It gets louder when you charge up your ectoblasts."

"Like electricity?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know how I died?" I ask pretty suddenly. Even though dying is pretty commonplace with my friends and we joke around about it, I don't think people outside of our friend group think of it as something to make fun of. Robin doesn't strike me as the person to make inconsiderate jokes.

Okay, maybe that's _exactly_ the kind of person he strikes me as. But not about this.

He shakes his head.

I do a quick freezing blast at the gun in his hand while I have his attention, and he looks at the gun with an unimpressed look before dropping it. It cracks on impact.

"My parents are ghost hunters."

"Uh-huh." He folds his arms, waiting for the rest of the story.

"They made this portal. It didn't work."

"Okay."

"They're brilliant. Just a little…" I search for the right word. "Absent, sometimes."

"Sure."

"Stop that, or you don't get to hear the rest."

"Fine."

I glare at him and he fights a smile. Finally, when he wrests it under control, I continue my really-ironic-and-funny-but-actually-really-depressing tale of how I learned to be both dead and alive.

"They plugged it in and it didn't work. But it did. They just needed to turn it on. Course, they didn't know how to do that because they didn't think they put in anything like that. They did, though. It was just on the inside."

Robin bites his bottom lip to keep from saying anything, his smile threatening to come out.

"So I went in. And I pressed it."

"Why?"

"I was feeling along the wall! It was dark and I couldn't see."

"Okay… So what happened after you pressed the button?"

"The portal turned on." I raise an eyebrow. "Portals use an astronomical amount of electricity. That, coupled with the amounts of ectoplasm flowing out of the opening Ghost Zone, is what turned me into what I was. The electricity should've killed me, but…" I change tactics, trying to explain what happened that day. "The ectoplasm made me another form, which anchored my soul. But my human body wasn't dead yet. Two bodies and one soul, and they just kind of… fused."

"So you didn't actually die?"

"I felt like I did. Everything was just pain. For a second, I could see the entirety of both dimensions. I don't remember any of the specific details, just their enormity and the way they balanced each other out. And… I don't know. I just kind of balanced. That certainly didn't happen peacefully." I give a tight grin. "So, yeah. I woke up dead. Freaked the heck out, but then I passed out and turned human. Spent a couple weeks in the hospital. My sides were still trying to figure out how to work with each other."

His humor is gone, and he just looks sad. "Your parents' invention?"

I nod. "Yeah."

He puts a hand on my shoulder, and despite the strangeness of the gesture, I accept it with a small favor.

"CRAP!" We both jerk to the sound of the voice, where Zatanna stands in her civilian clothes-tank top and jeans-with her face a mix of horror and humor. "WALLY! YOU WERE RIGHT! MY BOYFRIEND _IS_ GAY!"

"Crap," Robin mutters, watching her run out.

"Don't worry bro," I laugh unsympathetically. "I know a guy who knows where to get you some cats for when you die alone."

He gives me a horrified look and darts back to where Zatanna ran off.


	36. Chapter 36

I lean forward on my hands, regarding the white board in front of me with vague boredom. It's math. I mean, I love math, and this particular set of problems is definitely challenging, but right now I want to _move_.

My leg is bouncing under my desk, the tip of my pencil taps on my notebook with rapid clicks, and my free hand presses my chin, all in efforts of expending some of my excess energy.

"Mr. Grayson?" calls my math teacher with a slight Southern drawl that's only detectable when she speaks especially slow or annoyed. She and I are on good enough terms; after all, I am a mathlete. But she gets irritated when I'm bored, or rather, when I _act_ bored. "Would you like to demonstrate the problem's solution on the board?"

Her chosen tactic of stimulating me is often by doing the problem in front of the class. That or grilling me on the unit.

I give her a brief, bored smile before unwinding myself from the desk and going up to the front. I hadn't done the problem yet, so I do a lot of premature rounding in my head, not having brought my calculator.

When I step away from the board, the class is judging my answer, but I could care less. I return to my seat.

"The roundings messed with the final answer, but if you had them exact, your answer would be fine. That wouldn't have flied at a competition, Mr. Grayson."

My head back in one hand, I shrug with the other shoulder.

"Now, moving on…"

I squirm in my seat as she continues, trying to stop my skin from crawling after sitting so long. Do you ever sit in the same spot so long, it's the only thing you can think about? You actually ache to stand up, and your legs feel too tight, and you just need to _move_. I can literally _feel_ the bed sores...

"Richard Grayson!"

Crap. She full-named me.

She continues, "Is there something wrong?"

I try to summon the most charmed smile I can given how anxious I feel. "I want to move."

Mrs. Browne lets out a long sigh. "I'm not going to let you go to the bathroom, because the last two times you went, that was the last I saw of you that day." The class snickers and I roll my eyes. They were emergencies, what can I say? "Why don't you stretch in the back? You simply have to listen and not distract the class."

I give her a huge smile, pleased with the compromise. "Okay!"

I dart down the row and stand at the back. After a moment, she restarts the lesson. Regarding the amount of space I was given, I opt for a handstand. No one is watching me anymore, so I walk back and forth, watching from an upside down view as Mrs. Browne continues the lesson in matrices.

With a controlled move, I'm in a backbend and then back on my feet. Then I slip into a splits. Then a side splits. Then, I do another handstand, lowering my feet so they nearly touch the ground, keeping my arms straight and trying to continue listening to the lesson.

Mrs. Browne's speech is abruptly cut off with a shriek and some kind of thump, and it takes all five years of my training not to jerk in reaction and somehow snap my neck.

"Somebody call 911! Dick is broken!" shouts Maddie, sounding genuinely concerned.

"No, wait," I protest, swinging my legs up so I'm back in a handstand. I lower myself back onto my feet and call up an apologetic smile. "Wait. I'm a gymnast, I'm not broken, I swear."

"Nobody should be able to bend like that," claims Charles (yes, Charles, but, I mean, my adoptive dad is "Bruce" and his butler is "Alfred", so.), as if he's made that the law just by speaking. He's a… well. Let's just say he's worthy of _my_ name.

"Richard Grayson!" scolds my teacher, full naming me for the second time that day. Her accent is starting to slip back in. I don't know why she's so worried. Didn't I do a flawless triple parallel body turn in front of her before? Those basically defy physics. "When I said you could stretch- Wait, if that's stretching here, what do you do in the _halls_?"

I wave my hand dismissively, starting to feel the weight of too many eyes. "Let's not talk about that." Her curious gaze morphs into a more stern one, and I give a light hearted chuckle. "Guess you'll have to see at my next gymnastics performance!"

Charles's friend, and desperate middle class social climber, gives a sneering laugh. "What self-respecting man takes gymnastics?"

"One that can bend into any position," I retort. As soon as I hear the replay of those words in my head, I immediately fight a blush. That was one of the dirtiest things I think I've ever said out loud. Outside the presence of Wally, I mean.

The class either laughs, jeers, or in Mrs. Browne's case, look appalled.

Mercifully, the bell goes off, signaling the end of school.

Could've used that bell about a few hours earlier, but I'll take late rather than never.

As I grab my stuff, Maddie strategically places herself near the end of the rows so we end up walking out together.

She's not usually quite so forward, but I don't mind. She's a brilliant mathlete and is phenomenal at the under-the-breath jokes that you don't hear unless you're paying attention. I mean, Mrs. Browne's gotten mad at me a couple times for cracking up in class, but again, what's she going to do? I'm a freaking mathlete.

We only walk for a few moments before she starts to ramble, which is another rare occurrence for her.

"So, I was going to do a poster, but I suck at art, and all my math puns were so unoriginal like 'I hope you'd find it rational' and all that, and then I'd have to do the whole ringing the doorbell at the gate so I could get into the proximity of your house and that'd ruin the whole surprise and I bet you have dogs, too, so _anyway_." She huffs, sounding annoyed with herself. I give her a teasing grin, which she reciprocates with a light glare.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go to the dance with me."

Oh, I didn't see _that_ coming. I knew it was going to be a date, but not a dance. I'm a sophomore now, but only by a couple months. Sophomores usually only go to the final dance of the year with a date. If you want to go to the dances, you have to go with a big group of stags. Otherwise, the juniors and seniors will decimate you.

I consider for a second. It's Bruce and I's Batman and Robin Anniversary, and I was planning on making a huge cake with Alfred to celebrate/embarrass with. "I'd love to, but I don't think I'm free next Saturday." Oh, and wait. Isn't it guy's choice?

She does a little embarrassed cough into her hand. "Not this one, next one."

"The one in December?" I ask incredulously, but regret that before I even finish talking. She looks hurt. So, I laugh it off. "Well, you definitely caught me unasked! I'd love to go. Sorry, that sounded rude, I was just surprised. It's the first time I've been asked, you know."

She beams, earlier hurt look forgotten. "Yay! I'll text you all the details when it gets a bit closer. See you at mathlete practice?"

I give her a wave as she walks backwards down the hall. "Yeah, of course. I've never missed _any_ of those."

Laughing, she turns and heads back down the hall.

* * *

"I'm just _saying_ you could've asked me first."

"And _I'm_ just saying _you_ could've asked _me_ first!"

Zatanna does not look impressed. "She asked before this dance was even over."

"Which I'm not going to, so I'm not going to offend my nonexistent date."

"Right. Only your girlfriend."

I throw my hands up in frustration. "Ugh, I'm not cheating on you or anything! It's a stupid dance! There are only two couples for these dances. Friends, and in loves. And I'm definitely not in love with Maddie!" I give a short pause. "Mathie." Then I snicker.

The pun didn't help. "You could've at least told me!"

"Alright, me telling you a couple arguments ago? That was me _telling_ you."

"You guys are idiots." I turn to Artemis and Wally, who had entered the living room hand in hand. This is one of their wise "we're a seasoned and happy couple" moments where they're about to lecture us. "What are you even fighting about?"

"The dance," Zatanna mutters bitterly.

"Oh, Robin, get over it. Going with another guy isn't cheating," Wally informs me, looking so smug in all his knowledge. Artemis slaps his chest and Zatanna groans into her hands.

"OH!" I exclaim, turning to Zatanna with a victorious smile.

"Shut up, Robin. She's jealous. That's a good thing." Artemis pauses, then looks at Wally before amending her statement. "In this stage of the relationship."

They share a secret smile. I would've assumed there was be an argument, but they are apparently pretty sold right now. Good for them.

Zatanna and I amend.

"Can we hang out at your place later today? If nothing comes up," she asks.

I grin. "Bruce will be there. You know that, right?"

"Guess who won't be there?" She gestures around her. "Nosy teenagers."

"What are you implying?"

She doesn't answer except for a playful smile and a wink.

"I'd be down for that. Only if you fully understand that Alfred is better at sneaking around and being nosy than even Batman." She rolls her eyes, but I put on a serious face. "I'm not kidding. He's caught me doing just about everything."

She gives me a look that suggests something dirty. I push her shoulder so she can't look at me. "Stop you little dirty mind. Oh, did I tell you guys what I said in math?!"

Artemis is completely unenthusiastic, and Zatanna feigns interest.

"So I was stretching and then my teacher thought I broke, so everyone freaked out and someone said 'what kind of man does gymnastics'-" I pause a moment to stifle my laughter. "And I said, 'one that can bend in any position'!"

I lose it, and so does Wally. Zatanna and Artemis put on stern faces, but I can tell they're amused. "What stretch are we talking about?" Artemis asks.

I shrug before hopping off the couch and slip into it.

"Oh my _gosh_ , Robin, no wonder they thought you broke! Geez!" Zatanna finally laughs.

"I grew up in the _circus_! I'm flexible. Get over it, haters."

"Robin!" Jazz accompanies my name with throwing herself through the doorway at a dead sprint. She glares at me and I spring back into a standing position. "Have you seen Danny? I can't find him! He came here, but he isn't anywhere! I checked the mountain surface and the training room and his old room here, and-"

I cut her off. "Don't freak out so quickly. Let me check." I tap my wrist and search life forces in the Cave. Danny's definitely here. His dot is completely different from everyone else's, because he has a stranger physiology. By the red hue of his dot, however, he must be in his human form. "He's here."

"But _where_?" She gestures around her like this isn't a top secret base, specifically designed to have several hiding places if the need arose. I resist the urge to retort and lock on Danny's location.

The corner of the infirmary. That can't be good. "In the showers. I'll go see why he's showering here instead of at his house." Jazz makes a move to come with. "Stop right there. Has he shown you his scars?"

"No. I saw them, though-"

"It doesn't matter. I'm going. Calm yourself."

I leave them and head to the infirmary, letting the door slide open and closed just long enough to allow me entry. "Danny?" I call into the darkness.

The large space swallows any sound he might've made. I creep forward, staying quiet enough that I don't startle him, but not soft enough to just appear on him. Something isn't right here.

Straining my ears, I search for any kind of sound, until I hear small gasps. Slowly, I make my way towards the sound. The gaspings sound exhausted and are getting slower, meaning it's probably the end of his panic.

I stop a few feet away, letting him recognize that someone's there. My mask automatically adjusts my lenses to take in more of the dim light, accentuating the scene so I can see it better. Danny is sitting against the wall and his old bed, knees drawn up to his chest and his head buried into them. His arms, instead of wrapped around him, are folded tightly between his legs and chest.

"Danny?" I ask almost inaudibly.

Other than the slightest tense in the shoulders, there is no response.

I take a step.

"Go away," he mumbles, drawing his legs even closer.

Is he protecting himself, or something more specific?

"Are you okay?" My voice is still nothing more than a breath, but it still sounds too loud in this huge room. Another step, and I'm close enough to crouch right in front of him.

He tries to answer, but his voice is lost in a gasp. I swivel my crouch so I'm side by side him and shift my weight back, settling into something more like a sitting position.

"You thought it all disappeared when you got your memories back, huh?"

He doesn't try to answer this time; he only nods into his knees.

"Did it get better?"

He shakes his head.

"Did it get worse?"

He doesn't reply, which I take as a yes.

"It's because experiences make memories more vivid in context. You have comparisons, you can place certain senses that were previously unknown. You remember not feeling pain."

"I remember Sam," he mutters, softer than I had been by far. It's only my intense training that allowed me to hear it.

"Oh."

We sit in silence for a little while, before I slowly start trying to unravel him from his position. First I rub circles into his shoulder blades, trying to relax his shoulders, then attempt to gently pull his head back from his knees.

As soon as I get his back against the wall, I push back his legs. His arms are left tightly folded, though, and that worries me.

"Danny-" I start, trying to ask about his arms.

Another sob-filled gasp breaks my line of conversation.

"I didn't mean to-"

Narrowing my eyes, I grab one of his arms and wrench it from him, intent on seeing what he'd done.

Immediately, my posture relaxes, even if my mind is whirling. "Oh, _Danny_."

His arm is littered with deep cuts, welling blood now that it's not being pressed against his chest. I see now the dark discoloration of his shirt where his arm had rested. I look up at him in question.

His face is wet and his eyes look brimming with tears once more, and he shakes his head over and over. "I don't remember- I didn't know- I thought I was in the White Room again and all I could feel was pain from the cuts on my chest but-" He chokes again. "I don't remember this."

I search briefly for the object he used and come up with a slick scalpel thrown under the bed. Now that I realize Danny had been bleeding, I notice the dark spots surrounding him from the tossed knife.

"We don't have anything like this," I murmur, feeling along the edge of the instrument for markings.

"Of course not," he scoffs, shoving his hands through his hair, "It's my parents'. They have a whole set of them, stainless steel core and ectoranium coating. They use them for ectoplasmic dissection."

"Why'd you take one?"

"I didn't." His voice comes out harsh and bitter. "My dad slapped one in my hand and said, 'Come on, Danny! Let me show you how to properly dissect an ectoplasmic sample!'"

Even though I want to ask how that even came up as a topic of discussion, I stay quiet and focus on getting the scalpel cleaned with a random cloth I found inside the drawers beneath the bedside table. As soon as I finish that, and stuff the scalpel in my belt and out of sight, I work on his arm, cleaning the cuts and wrapping it in tight gauze.

"It was a plant found in the Ghost Zone. Truly nonsentient, I guess. But I didn't see some plant. I only saw blood. And then I was here. Everything is so much more… potent…? It's so much more painful, more real, more…" He shakes his head. "Inescapable."

"You could talk to Black Canary," I suggest. "She's a licensed therapist. Everyone's talked to her, even me."

"I do talk to her," he answers tiredly.

Surprise colors my voice, "You do?"

He looks at me warily. "Obviously. It's what I do when everyone's at school."

"All day?"

"No, just an hour or so every day. I don't on Saturday or Sunday. I'd rather hang out with you guys."

Suddenly I'm wondering what he does when we're gone; I'd never thought about it before. And it makes perfect sense that he'd be in therapy. Clearly, he needs it. But he'd been holding it together so well, it's almost like he was never in that facility.

I can't believe I've missed this.

"It's been getting so much better. I've almost perfected ignoring it- But something like that will come along and…" He drags a hand through his hair again. "I'm just so sick of this! Why did this even have to _happen_? Everything was going so well. I had three team members to help with the ghost load, the more powerful ones were either locked away or nonviolent… and Sam and I…" He lets out a ragged breath, leaning back.

"I've just been in love with her for so long."

I tip my head to the side, letting that tell him that I'm paying attention; it's difficult to tell with my mask. And clearly, he needs to vent. Not to a trained professional, but to a friend.

And not Tucker, obviously, because if he heard Danny admit to loving Sam, he'd never let him live it down.

Danny starts talking and he doesn't stop for a long time. He delves right into what he's thinking about and explains every specific detail that has been nagging him. He says the phantom pain keeps him up at night, that nightmares torture him when he's awake. He tells me about the way he's been avoiding it- that he's pushed everything down so far his conscious mind thought it was all but gone. He says that it was all tolerable until he remembered Sam.

His obsession is protection. It has rings of intensity that start at the family and friends, then gradually grows more broad and less intense-but no less important- as it pushes out. His memories hadn't been there to remind him of the glaring failure in the innermost ring, but now that they were back…

He says that the emotional pain he is experiencing now can only be likened to the torture he endured over the course of his missing nine months.

Through the entire conversation, I maintained a solid look of empathy on my face, trying to control the emotion underneath. Just listening to it made me feel…

Danny doesn't deserve this. He sure didn't deserve _that_. Unlike Batman, Wonder Woman, Miss Martian and many of the other heroes, he's a hero to be good. Because he's _good_. Batman has some warped sense of vengeance, justice and a huge mixture of moral angst; he does it so he _can_ be a good person.

Danny just is. He just _is_.

And he _didn't. Deserve. This._

I grind my teeth into my bottom lip the longer I listen, until Danny trails off, out of energy and out of words. It takes longer than I expected, but eventually he falls into a restless sleep. Deciding that moving him will only wake him up, I throw a blanket over him and walk out of the infirmary.

I've gained an audience.

Jazz and Tucker are sitting across from the door, frowns etched in every line of their face. Artemis is standing by Jazz, and Miss M floats by her. Superboy stands beside her. As soon as he sees me, he cocks his head in question. I say nothing- just stumble backwards into the wall and slide down until my knees are to my chest.

"Did that-" Superboy starts, and I shake my head.

"We need to find Sam," I murmur, laying my head onto the wall behind me. "Not next week, not next month. Right. Now."

And then I'm going to take those people responsible, including Savage, and put them somewhere more dark and hopeless than the Joker's mind.

* * *

 **Hey! So, I've been gone for a while, but I'm back now! Marching Band season is over and so is my life, and I've resold my soul to this site. If any of you are fanfic writers, for shame! Go update your story. Then read mine, so I can read yours.**

 **Anyway, Happy Halloween! Thanks for sticking around. Feel free to comment, I actually take the critiques and love the compliments. This fic _is_ wrapping up, much as it seems like it'll go on forever, and I want to steer it to a good end and also fix whatever's broken.**

 **And, because I haven't done this in a while: ~Disclaimer Disclaimer~**


	37. Chapter 37

"Hello, Great One."

Although I wasn't expecting the voice and it caught me off guard, I still return the greeting with a warm smile.

"We haven't seen you in a while."

I turn myself around, brightening my smile as I take all of Frostbite in. "No, I was… preoccupied. But it's good to see you again." I float forward and go in for a customary handshake. Frostbite instead envelops me in a full-blown hug that squeezes the air from my lungs.

He swings me around to sit on his shoulder and starts lumbering toward the village I know lies over the obstructing snow drift. "It's always good to see you, Great One, though I expect your visit is not a social call?"

He phrases it like a question, but it's more of a statement. Comes with being an ancient ghost with access to near-infinite power, I guess.

My good nature at seeing an old friend slips at his true comment. "As much as I wish that…" To emphasize Frostbite's point, my phone vibrates in my belt. I quickly check the caller ID-Robin- and send it straight to voicemail. I didn't tell anyone where I was going, but by declining their calls, they know I'm hanging up on purpose and not missing their calls because I'm kidnapped or something.

I slip the phone back into my belt.

"When is it ever just a social call?"

"Good point," he laughs. "But can it not be both? Before you continue; your cape is a very nice addition. I'm impressed with your balanced ice levels, and clearly, your power has grown if you flew here yourself."

"I've done that before," I point out.

"Consciously?" he teases lightly, and I give him a half-hearted glare.

"And how are things in the Land of the Far Frozen?" I ask, gesturing to the village that starts to appear as he climbs. "You know, before I come and disrupt it again."

He chuckles. "They are well. It is unlikely for conflict to occur, since so many of the Far Frozen people are incapable of violence."

"When was the last conflict?" I ask.

He lets out a heavy sigh. "The Ghost King. He is the only one to dare come here."

"During his reign or when Plasmius let him out?"

"During his reign. When he was released from the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, he was more concerned with getting his Ring than he was with eradicating us. Surely he would have had you not stopped him, but thankfully, it didn't come to that."

"Why does he hate you guys so much?"

"Don't underestimate the power of ice, Great One. A core of pure ice is far more rare than you may believe." As if sensing I want to hear more, he continues, "The obsessions rooted in ice reflect its nature. They are peaceful, protective. The emotions used to fuel them are far deeper and more complex than anger or vengeance."

"What about Klemper?"

"He is a child, Great One. Children are rare to stay. He died innocent, which is even more uncommon in a ghost. Most of these rarities stay to protect family or something likewise, but he's been here far longer. The only thing keeping him here is his loneliness."

"And that gave him ghost powers?"

"He does not destroy or create. He is pure innocence and he has done what seems impossible- He's maintained it through rejection and neglect. He's seen the entire world but hasn't been affected. He searches only for companionship and everything else filters out. He is lonely, and a ghost core reflects a ghost's nature. The only thing Klemper has known is cold."

"That's incredibly depressing," I remark. "How do you know this?"

"He's been here."

"And you didn't accept him?"

"We did, Phantom."

"He's here?" But at Frostbite's brief silence, realization dawns on me. "He's gone."

"Yes." I bow my head in respect, and Frostbite gives me a reassuring smile. "Do not count this as a bad thing. He achieved his goal. Being a child, he was incapable of creating another. He was only with us for a short time."

"What emotion fuels you?" I'm curious, now that we've been talking about power emotions.

"Curiosity," he replies, giving me a warm smile, "And the spread of the wisdom I earn from it."

"Hrh," I grumble, "sounds like you and Clockwork would be great friends."

"That we would, and are. Ah, we're here."

I shake off whatever comment I had been about to make and change the topic from Clockwork to where we are. "I never said what I came here for-"

We're at the Far Frozen's medical research lab/hospital. "And this isn't it anyway…"

"When was the last time you went to a doctor, Great One?"

"I spent like a month in the infirmary at Mount Justice," I respond petulantly, floating off of Frostbite's shoulder.

"And they know how to treat half-ghost hybrids?"

I don't answer, opting instead to pout. "I don't want to."

"Great One, you came here for the Infa-map, did you not?" I startle at the mention. He smirks at my surprise. "It is the only ghostly artifact of which one of your allies has control. Well, we have more, but you can understand my hesitancy to let you know of their existence." He smiles warmly as I give an awkward cough.

"This is the deal. Get your checkup and we'll see about lending you the map."

"Why would you let me lend it? I know how much trouble I got in last time I used it."

I follow Frostbite inside and fly where he directs me. "You were not the cause. And I understand the draw of curiosity. Do not feel guilty. The map knows its way back, and it knows where it wants to be."

"That was cryptic," I snipe as Frostbite starts ordering assistants around. I'm not sure how, but I end up agreeing to take my suit off, which I'd been very adamant about not doing. Frostbite doesn't comment, which I appreciate. He just pushes me inside one of the ice-tubes I'd woken in when I first got ice powers, secures the air mask around my face, and starts filling the tube.

I can't talk over the rushing liquid, but as soon as it's done being filled, I raise my voice to Frostbite. "I don't have time for this, Frostbite. I have to find Sam."

"With the Infa-map." When I nod, he smirks at me. "Then you'll have time."

I fold my arms and ignore Frostbite and his assistants' work. Have to admit, though… This does feel amazing. Any excess ice I hadn't used flows out of me, leaving me relaxed. It's like an open circuit for my powers; I don't have too much building or too little to feel comfortable. My core does still ache, that's true, but it's the only thing.

"Yes…" Frostbite mutters after a while, "That should work."

"What should?"

He looks at me, face serious. "You need to find Sam."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "Yes, I already knew that."

"Not for your benefit, Phantom. Though that will solve many problems happening in your core. Her prolonged exposure to ghostly energy has likely already changed her. The longer she stays, the more she changes."

"How did you even know where she was?"

He flashes me the screen on his tablet. "The fluid, Great One."

"It can read my mind?" I demand, surprised.

"No. It knows what you know."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It does, just not to you."

I give him a blank look and he returns it, but he then has to turn away to hide his amusement. "Do not worry, Great One. It cannot share." He taps the screen, allowing the tube to drain and me to be released.

Once I'm dry and back in my suit, Frostbite leads me to the sanctuary where the Infa-map is kept.

"Frostbite?"

My voice is hesitant as the question pounding on my skull threatens to spill out.

"Yes, Great One?"

"Will I ever be okay again?"

Frostbite gives me a sympathetic smile and lays his frozen hand on my shoulder. "Danny, you have gone through what only a few before have survived. It is a great trauma and a horrible burden; but it is a part of you now. I know that's not what you wanted to hear. But you can't ignore it or push it away. Allow it to settle inside you. Make peace with it, and learn to remember what happened without experiencing it."

"You make this sound good, almost."

"Great One, you are great because you never give up. You are naive, it is true, but you learn from mistakes and come back harder and faster than ever. You are a savior. Take what you've learned and return better."

"What have I learned? What could I _possibly_ have learned?" I feel the memories rise and I bite my lip, hard.

"Absolute zero," Frostbite replies, looking at me earnestly.

"What?"

"We are beings of ice, are we not? The cold, it is a part of us. But even we have our limits. Once, I was threatened. The whole Ghost Zone was threatened. I brought my temperature down, hoping the cold would fuel my core and its powers. I reached absolute zero. It was only for a fraction of a second, but it was enough to send a wave powerful enough to defeat the enemy… and enough to destroy my arm."

I look at his arm of ice.

"I was bitter. My arm was gone. But perhaps now I knew how far I _could_ go."

"Oh." I allow myself to think of a memory- softly, slowly, and let myself feel the pain I remembered. I shake, but Frostbite says nothing. When the memory is through, I look at him with pained but triumphant eyes. "I know my limits now. And methods of torture, in case I need information."

Frostbite barks a laugh and swings the Infa-map into my hands. "I think it's time for you to retrieve Sam."

I open the map. "Yeah, definitely." The destination of Mount Justice stings my tongue, but I hesitate. "Frostbite, thank you. I couldn't ask for a better friend."

Frostbite nods as I shout out my destination and disappear in a flash of light.

* * *

 **Sorry for such an uneventful chapter. I want it to fill some plot holes and add to Danny's recovery, and hopefully it did just that. Thank you guys for sticking around so long! The story is so close to over, and as soon as I finish, I have a new and interesting idea for a fanfic. It's actually really unique and I have great ideas for it. Anyway. Until next time!**

 **~Disclaimer, disclaimer~**


	38. Chapter 38

"But they already _know_ ghosts," Wally argues, almost upending his bowl of snacks in his frustration, "We'd be better off letting a different pair take point!"

He'd already reiterated this point several times, but we always returned to Danny being on the penetration team.

"Well, we've already ruled out having three people, taking the entire group, omitting Phantom completely, sending Phantom alone and _anyone_ paired with Phantom," I point out drily, repositioning on the increasingly uncomfortable chair.

"Exactly! We should explore options without Phantom!"

"That's what 'omit' means," Artemis comments, snagging some of Wally's food while he's distracted.

"This is like being on missions without M'gann," Zatanna sighs. She's relaxing her head on her hand, leaning on her elbow like she's about to doze off. Or die of boredom.

"You guys _have_ gotten pretty dependent," Jazz notes. "It's only been a couple missions and it's like you can't remember how to use stealth without him."

"It's really easy to rely on someone's ability to simply walk through any security measure," I say dreamily. Oh, what I would do with that ability… "But you guys do know I am a master of stealth myself."

Tucker rolls his eyes, "When you're not giggling from the darkness, that is."

"So we've agreed that Robin should be on the point team." Kaldur stands, trying to get the team's attention focused on the matter at hand. We'd been here too long, trying to figure out how to infiltrate a facility we haven't encountered before. Danny said he can get us there; we just need to get in.

We recounted all security measures we'd seen so far and brainstormed ways to circumvent and disconnect them. Then we got stuck on who would do that. And here we are.

Kaldur continues, "Who should go with him?"

"Jazz and Tucker are untrained for a top security stealth mission," I begin, trying to choose someone that can conceal as easily as myself, "So are Superboy, Kaldur, and Zatanna." I give a brief apologetic look to her. "Sorry." She rolls her eyes, but gestures for me to continue. "Wally's too talkative, and Danny's already out of the question, which leaves M'gann and Artemis."

"What about Danny in human form?" Tucker interjects. "They can't track him then."

"Is Danny highly skilled in stealth?"

He and Jazz give embarrassed coughs and look away.

"Well then. M'gann can camouflage, though it's not perfect, and she can shapeshift without necessarily alerting anyone. Artemis, on the other hand, is highly trained for this type of mission."

"But neither of us can just walk through walls, which we all agree is a very possible barrier," M'gann adds. She rubs her left arm with her right, biting her lip. "Not yet, anyway."

Superboy puts a hand on her shoulder, then looks at us. "Why does it have to be stealth anyway? Why don't we just attack from all different angles at once?"

"That's always your approach, isn't it?" Wally snipes. Superboy glares back.

"I agree with Wally," Zatanna says. "That really hasn't worked in the past."

Artemis doesn't take Wally's side. "Yeah, against the light. But these new enemies are all about brute force."

"Which is why we use stealth. Because they're idiots." And Tucker joins the stealth side.

I sigh. "Guys, let's not devolve into a fight again. They're both ideas that are unlikely to work."

"What if we do both?" Jazz asks, jumping to her feet so she can start moving. I notice she often does that when in deep thought. "We could attack and draw forces to the outside, and then send another force inside! Oh, wait, we need at least Superboy to hit through all the barriers. So we'd have three forces. Even better, we could have a trap on the outside after the outer force's initial attack, so that team can join the other two as reinforcements-"

She continues theorizing as we watch her pace. A quick glance at everyone's facial expressions confirms that they agree with this general idea.

The Zeta Beam announces Danny's arrival, and we all go quiet as he flies up to us in ghost form.

He pauses for a brief moment. "Wow, this is… quiet."

"Oh, sorry," Tucker replies, almost sounding genuine. He pushes back his chair, slams his palms on the table and yells, "Welcome to the Cave, Phantom!"

Danny smirks once before turning to everyone else. "Do we have a plan?"

Kaldur gives a summary of what we discussed.

"Sounds like a great plan," he compliments. As he says this, he withdraws a scroll from the back of his belt. "And I know how to get there."

Confused silence.

"I want to tease you about this random scroll," Wally starts, "but I just don't know how. It's too random."

"I got it." Artemis turns from Wally to Danny. "Ancient Egypt knew of our troubles and decided to lend a hand?"

"It's a map," he responds lamely, looking from the map to the team. "The map to everywhere. In fact, I'm surprised you guys didn't know to use it." He uses the map to point at Jazz and Tucker.

"We, um-" Jazz coughs, which I knew realize is her nervous tic. "We couldn't find the Far Frozen."

Danny glares at the two of them, "One day we're going to have to run through how dumb you guys are… There's the Infa-map, Desiree, Skulker, Clockwork, the Boomerang-"

"Ahem- Couldn't find, enemy, enemy, couldn't find, and Sam had it…"

Danny waves Tucker off dismissively, "All I'm saying is that you had options."

"Danny," I say impatiently, "The map?"

"Right." He unfurls it, opening a normal enough map. But as Danny holds the long scroll, it begins to glow bright purple. Projections of doors surround his head as he watches the map. "Find Sam."

In response, the doors shuffle and are recalled back into the map, where a line is being drawn across the surface. The strange symbols fade and turn into a snapshot of the northwestern states. Finished, the map jerks, but Danny plants his heels down, holding the map tight.

"New York," I read over his shoulder, "Close to Albany. Makes sense; most light facilities hover in the northeast."

Danny snickers. "I still can't believe you guys didn't think of this-"

Tucker looks murderous, " _Excuse us_ , if you know how to navigate the Ghost Zone and we don't. I've only been to the ice place _once_ and we crash landed there! Don't even get me started on Clockwork's place, which is on the _outskirts_ of an _infinite_ dimension…"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. I forget you guys aren't always with me." He wears an apologetic half-smile that Tucker relents to, and team moves on.

"When should we attack?" Kaldur asks, returning to tactics.

"Monday," Danny responds immediately, "Evening. Like six or seven. Still light outside, but at the end of everyone's shift, and before the night guards get there. Besides, it's a football game. Football games are always distracting." Jazz, Tucker and Danny wear the same secret smiles, but none of us ask. If they're confident, I guess we are too.

"Sounds as good a time as any," Zatanna yawns, beginning to openly show her boredom.

"Look alert, Zatanna," I tease playfully, settling back into my chair, "This is going to take a while."

"The outer team-" Kaldur begins, and I give a relieved smile as everyone readies themselves for an argument. They're taking this as seriously as they know how.

I glance at Danny's content smile. He's ready. We're all ready.

Now it's only a matter of waiting until Monday.

* * *

 **Short chapter, but fear not, the next will be longer. Less than a few chapters left, and I already have a fantastic idea for a new fanfic after this one is completed. I know I have a drawn out story style, but thank any of you who have read this far and still follow the story. You guys are the best!**


	39. Chapter 39

Robin offers me an open granola bar, which I chew on absent-mindedly. Our game plan is laid out on the holo-screen in front of me, filled with stats about the robot we'd captured and data collected from past missions. He's trying to chat with me and I'm murmuring vague answers, but I'm not really paying attention.

Suddenly, Robin's fist in underneath my ribs, which causes a spasm of pain to ripple across my torso. I react instantaneously, twisting around and turning intangible to avoid further hits. "Robin, what the heck?"

"You said I could," he responds flippantly, turning his back to me, probably to hide a smile.

"I didn't!"

"Actually," Tucker intervenes from a nearby seat, "You did. He asked 'Hey Danny, I kinda want to punch you. Am I allowed?' and you went, 'uh huh'." He mimics our voices and goes all slack-jawed when he's impersonating me. "Before that, he was giving this whole story about how this mission would never work because it's impossible to find Sam since he murdered her and threw her into the sun."

" _That_ 's what you were talking about?"

Robin glares at my accusative tone.

"Oh, don't act all offended. I did it to get your attention, but it didn't work. So I made this elaborate tale of love, betrayal and my slow descent into madness that, unfortunately, ended up in my murdering of Sam and our adopted Nigerian child." My face must be showing some major shock and confusion right about now. "Mhmm," he affirms, taking my expression as a response and flipping onto an empty seat. "I'm gonna be a YA novelist."

"I was focusing on the mission," I defend, clipping my words to get my point across, "Something we all should be doing."

"This _is_ me focusing!"

"Well, it sucks."

"Yeah, Batman doesn't like it either."

Before Kaldur can interrupt our budding argument, Robin and I both shrug and let it go. One of the biggest things I'd learned from the eight months in torture: how to choose your battles. And I don't think fighting with Robin leads to anything except a waste of energy.

"Looks like we're approaching the facility," M'gann announces.

Everyone stands, almost as if that'll prepare them for the upcoming battle. It's just the ten of us- at least for now. The Justice League views Vandal Savage as a top priority villain. They're ready to step in at any moment.

We prepare to attack. The first two teams are doing the initial attack, even though Kaldur, Jazz, Artemis and Wally are the alpha force. Once they draw as many out as possible, the beta team-Superboy, Tucker and Zatanna- attack the compound itself. While the alphas are fighting, the beta team will attack the enemy's back. If the enermies attempt to retreat, alphas have them trapped.

The gamma team-Robin, M'gann and I- will infiltrate. Robin hacks. M'gann fights. I search.

Jazz is decked out in her favorite Fenton invention: the ghost peeler. Or whatever ridiculous name it has. The Fentons have so many inventions, even I can't keep track. Tucker has gauntlets, guns, and a hovercycle. He's planning on riding around and creating havoc, which I can support. He may not be able to hold up a close-quarters fight with a one year old, but he definitely knows his way around long distance shooting.

I understand we've lost almost every fight that involved infiltrating this group. I mean, they did almost kill my clone on accident. But this time, we come with a secret weapon.

The _Plasmius Maximus_ (with much sarcasm) is a device that completely cancels a ghost's powers for three hours. Furthermore, the samples (robot) that we collected from one of the facilities confirmed that the substance inside the metal death machines is, in fact, modified ectoplasm.

Using my parents, Robin and myself, we were able to figure out that the Plasmius Maximus actually destroyed an ectoplasm's ability to communicate. A ghost controls its ectoplasm through thought, but if its connection is terminated, the thought can't control the ectoplasm. Thus, they dissolve into goo until the effect thins out and loses effect.

In a halfa, it compromises the ability to keep a ghost form, as it takes effort (however little it becomes) to keep the form together and from switching human.

We figured that the robots' programming was the communication that controls the ectoplasm. Normally it doesn't work like that, but it was modified to fit. This change actually made it easier for us. Once the connection broke, it never restored. The ectoplasm was then useless.

With this knowledge and my dad's strange brilliance, we fashioned a lighter PM with a high magnetic field, shaped like one of Robin's disks. All someone has to do is press the button and come within two feet of a robot, and the magnetism and electricity would do the rest.

I can't believe how much I doubted my dad when I was younger. Sure, he's _big_ in every sense of the word, but he's brilliant and infinitesimally loving and caring. I was an idiot.

"Danny?"

"I'm here, Robin," I assure quietly. I know I've spiraled off, but at least it was somewhere good this time. I say as much but keep it short. My spiral fades off as my mind and core focus in on the mission again. This has to save Sam. There is no other option. I leave with her or not at all.

In response, my core pushes power through my veins, sending my senses into overdrive. Analyzing the screen once more, hearing the separate heartbeats, feeling the cool breeze from Wally's impatient pacing.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Sam."

"What about her?"

"How she'll be able to check on me instead of you. No offense, but she knows me better." I give him a playful smile.

"We're almost there," M'gann announces.

"Alpha and Beta teams, prepare for drop. Gamma team, prepare for infiltration."

Stealth tech flickers on as Kaldur continues issuing orders. It's not dark yet, but yellow and bright red is still easier to see than grays and blacks.

"Guys," I broach, careful but strong, "I don't want anyone to die here. No one is going to die here. If anyone might, get out. I don't care how. I can't take anymore loss. Do you guys understand?"

With their affirmatives, each team member offers a reassuring smile. They're so confident. I just hope they can back it up.

M'gann glances at the screens. "Approaching drop. ETA thirty seconds." The bioship dips as the team readies for a moving jump. The ground falls out from under them and they tuck and roll, already prepared for action.

"Good luck," Robin mutters as the team disappears below. We're not linked to them, because M'gann will probably be facing the mind ghost, and the mind link is just one more thing to keep open. Besides, if it shuts down in the middle of a fight, the team will be impaired and Superboy will go nuts at the thought of M'gann in trouble.

Now just the three of us, we do our own preparations. I pull my hood up and draw the cape around my shoulders, letting it close like drapes along the front of my body. My hands move to check the gadgets in my belt, experienced enough to keep the fabric from rippling.

Robin does the same, but only with the brand new gadgets that he's less familiar with. He has many, because he has the most experience with throwing disks. They're hooked along the outside of his belt with magnetic clips. If he pulls, they unclasp. But they might unclasp on their own, if he were to fall, or get hit…

I need to stop worrying. This will not fail. It _can't_ fail. It won't happen. It won't; it can't.

I keep repeating this in my head as M'gann joins us in a tight cluster at the center of the ship, but as soon as the floor opens up and we fall through, my mind goes blank. While the mantra is still ringing in my head, I'm focused on grabbing the teammates beside me and turning them intangible.

My senses trip over themselves trying to deliver all the information to me as conscious thought, and for a moment I'm disoriented.

While the ship was calm and quiet, the air is crowded with different sensations. The sounds of guns going off and the shouts from allies and opponents alike, the smell of smoke, the flashes of bright ectoplasm and the taste of metal and ash.

I see that the team has already succeeded in starting a fire. Explosion shockwaves in the air alert me to the beta team's success in entering the compound. Shouts everywhere, both on our side and theirs, tell me that soldiers were joining to help fight with the robots-meaning that our new toys are effective.

 _Focus_ , M'gann's voice prods gently. I look at her in a type of apology, but she's looking more at Robin. Of course, he's probably worrying about his team. _They'll be alright. We need to do our own thing._

 _You're right_. He doesn't look over again and instead focuses on the roof below. _Take us down_.

Only then do I realize we're suspended instead of falling, and I lower us in response.

We pass through the roof, lowering into a normal enough hallway. Robin directs me down, insisting that they wouldn't be above ground when they've never shown that before. Circumventing the security systems is astronomically easier without guards to spot us on cameras or round a corner on us, and we make it to the last floor without much trouble.

Getting _into_ the basement proves to be more difficult.

Like the other place, it's ghost shielded. I can't phase through without hitting the ghost shield, and I can't fall through as a human without phasing.

 _Robin, do you have an entrance for us?_ M'gann asks through our minds.

He's focused on his holo-glove, but responds, _Only one, but that doesn't make any sense…_

 _It makes perfect sense,_ I insist, changing directions and following down the hall, _It means that there's some kind of transport in the basement or that everyone down there is a ghost. Or both. And it means I know exactly where to get in._

Another similarity these two facilities share is… pretty much everything. I can see Vlad's arrogance in every painting and unlocked door. Which means he's arrogant enough to have an elevator despite the fact that _he goes through walls_. Just like the other place.

I repress the urge to roll my eyes as we enter his office and find a near identical copy of the other office, including the signed Packers football on display.

 _Whoa_ … Robin comments. _It's the same._

 _Yeah. His arrogance knows no boundaries._

 _No bounds,_ he corrects.

 _Whatever._

 _Are we gonna hack this, cuz we couldn't do that last time._

 _Not sure yet._

I open the passageway by tipping the same book and glare at the control panel. Handprint scanner.

 _Okay, knowing Vlad, there has to be some kind of hole to this system. Something kind of obvious for his own benefit that leaves him open. Maybe talking obsessively about my mom? Will that automatically open it? Probably not. Then it'd open all the time._

Robin and M'gann share a look that I ignore as I continue to muse.

 _He's arrogant, so he has an elevator even though he can go through walls. Because he's too lazy to shut down the ghost shield in the first place, maybe? So he comes here, detransforms, enters his fingerprint, and- OH! He doesn't detransform! He's too privileged._

 _So there's a hole in the shield somewhere?_ M'gann asks.

 _No… They're continuous. He has gloves, is what I mean. No fingerprints. So it opens another way._

 _Well now that I know what to look for…_ Robin feels around the edges of the pad for a catch. He doesn't find anything.

That is, until he finds the switch and the panel pops open and falls forward on a hinge. Behind it is a computer keyboard and a single line of digital screen.

Robin looks back at me. _Any ideas about the password?_

 _Oh yeah._ I smirk and type in the only thing it could be.

 **maddie_masters**

And the elevator opens.

We crowd inside the small doorway into the large elevator and key in the bottom floor. Its doors slide shut and the elevator descends, shooting us down at a rapid pace.

When it opens, we're not prepared for the dozen guards crowding around the doors, armed and aiming directly at us. One barks an order, and the guns go off.

* * *

"Welcome, comrade," Savage greets when Plasmius floats across the floor to him. They clasp hands with equally sinister smiles. Still groggy, they're the only thing I can focus on when I come to. My head aches and my vision is impaired where my hood falls over my face.

I spare a glance over at Robin and M'gann. He's impossible to read because of his mask, but M'gann still looks out.

"I can't believe Daniel is back here when we took so much to find him," Plasmius replies, his gaze turning to me. I shut my eyes and beg the muscles in my neck to relax. When he next speaks, he's much closer. "I wonder why he'd be so easy."

"I assure you we aren't underestimating him," Savage assuages. "Those cuffs are suppressing his powers and will administer electric shock if he tries to access them."

"That's good." He's so close I can feel his breath on my cheek, and I want to slam my forehead into his. Before I can convince myself its a bad idea, he backs away. "I know Daniel isn't capable of thinking this far ahead, but I wonder his purpose for coming here in the first place. To get recaptured? Surely not."

Who talks like that?

"For you?"

"Doubtful. Daniel wouldn't be able to beat me if I had no powers. He mostly avoids me."

"Probably searching for the girl, then."

"The dead one?"

"What other one is there?"

I force the emotion down.

"Ah, Alice and her sister." I struggle not to peek as Savage greets a new arrival. "How are things outside?"

"The team has retreated, though I doubt they will be gone for long. No one was retrieved." It's Evil Barbie! Which means her sister, Pixie, is here also.

... Her name is Alice?

"Pity. At least we have these." Pause, probably so he can look at us for the *aesthetic*. "Which ones are awake?"

Crap.

A silence, before 'Alice' answers, "All of them."

Welp. I open my eyes and raise my head, causing my hood to fall back. M'gann is already alert, and Robin is the same. My eyes dismiss Alice and land on her sister, who's been here, silent. She watches me with ethereal purple eyes.

Evil Barbie locks eyes with me over her sister. "Hello, Phantom. I'm glad to have you back."

Dread pours over me like a bucket of ice water, sending chills up my spine. No. I can't do this now. I can't, I can't.

I turn to Vlad, trying to make sense of the situation. He knew I was an experiment for months here, but neglected to tell them that I was a halfa. Either we was protecting himself, or…

He didn't know.

Savage is playing Vlad. Alice is playing her sister. Vlad is here probably for the ring and crown.

"The heroes?" Alice asks, gesturing to us.

Savage glances at the sister. "Have her wipe them and send them to processing for new memories. They're talented and can come in handy. Phantom can enjoy watching that and then head back to where he belongs."

Vlad glances at him, questioning. He sees me looking and quickly wipes his face clean.

Panic rises when Pixie steps towards M'gann. I see M'gann readying for a fight, and I allow that to happen for now. I have a lot of havoc to cause and only so much time to cause it.

Time to put my best power to use: my words.

"Hey, Vlad," I call, quirking my lips into a cocky smirk. "How've you been? Good, good? I read the Packers won last season. I wouldn't know, though, being locked up in a cell for months. Not great cable. Worse than Walker's prison. Actually, probably worse than biology class for the frog. Cuz you know, I was the frog."

Savage's weird fixation on Pixie returns to me. "Nonsense. He was in a stasis chamber getting reprogrammed."

"OHHH. So that's the cover story? What's Barbie here, the technician? Please. She can't add single digits, let alone calibrate a stasis pod. That's where Danielle was, though. I, however, was busy getting torn apart molecule... by… molecule." I drag out the words. "They tried to break my mind, too, with Pixie here. But I forgot instead."

"Heed him not," Savage disarms, and Vlad almost looks like he believes him.

I speak louder. "Oh, heed me, Vlad! Did you know they cut me open on a table? That they wanted to see if I bled? That I passed out from the pain only to be forced awake because it was too much to bear? They tore my power from my veins. Once, when my hand glowed, a guard took his nightstick and crushed the bones to powder. You can _imagine_ the complicated recovery time! Do I look like I've been in a stasis pod for eight months? Do I look like I haven't aged? Do I _look reprogrammed to you_?!"

My voice rose as Savage tried to quiet me. Obviously, he didn't expect me to be quite so... loud.

"I knew you didn't know, Vlad, because you didn't tell them what I was. What _we_ are."

Savage quiets his attempts to silence me. "He is like you?"

"He knows what you are? Did he know that you aren't a perfect balance? More ghost. Malicious and insane. But I am. I'm the perfect balance between life and death. It's how I survived dissections and whippings and alive autopsies and-"

"Stop!" Savage and Vlad shout at the same time. Savage with anger, Vlad with desperation.

"I'm Maddie's son, Vlad. They carved me up with a scalpel and I'm _Maddie's son_."

Vlad shouts in anguish, turning on Savage with blind rage. "Is what he saying true?!"

"No! Alice, take him away!"

No, if I leave, M'gann will lose and she and Robin will disappear. I struggle to go intangible. A warning shock crackles and sends fire into my body.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Alice murmurs. "Don't worry. There's much worse." She clips the last two words, making sure I feel them all the way down to my core. But I don't care. I need to help M'gann and Robin.

Vlad and Savage are yelling at each other. They've entangled too many assets in each other and can't gain ground. If either leaves or retaliates, the other will destroy them, so I won't get any help from Vlad.

No. I can't go out like this. I can't leave my team like this.

My core thrums, and a shock reciprocates. My core thrums harder, sending the electricity through me. So much pain.

"Done yet?" She flips a switch next to me and I'm shifted backwards. "This'll put you out for the ride. Or should. We don't care much about anesthetics." She leans closer. "But you know that."

No no no. I _died_. This wasn't that bad. It won't be that bad. I can do this.

I force power to my fingertips. Lightning crashes through me. I push harder and harder, letting the pain hurt me, letting it spasm my body and crackle through my hair. Letting it kill me. Because I'm getting out of here.

More and more pain. It crescendos, causing my throat to open and a terrible scream to claw its way out. The sear of fire through my veins is the worst pain. My dying pain. A pain that kills me. So intense I'm barely sure if I'm feeling it. So confining I'm trapped drowning underwater and unable to reach the surface for air. So painful every nerve is alight and in pain and I can feel each fiber of my being… Millions and millions... I could count each nerve if fire wasn't using my thoughts as fuel.

But with one more spasm, one more color burst in my eyes, one more scream of my body being torn apart-

The electricity recedes and the pain trips backwards and tumbles into oblivion.

And I'm floating, so bright with electricity and ectoplasm. So much power. Electricity is my weakness but it also fuels my core. I've poured alcohol on a fire and now I feel invincible.

But I know it won't last forever.

So I act fast.

With a flick of my wrist, ectoplasm knocks into Alice and Pixie with enough force to crack the wall where they land. A shield forms, so powerful it's almost opaque. I explode it outwards, crumbling the room around me like a bomb. The walls fall with my shield and the room reduces to rubble.

When I see my own destruction, I feel the smallest flicker of remorse. No. Everyone's outside. No one was hurt.

Except for Vlad and Savage, who are stirring in a pile of rubble a bit beyond me. I spare a duplicate to check for pulses and another to free a barely conscious Megan and…

" **Robin**?" I ask. My voice is too bold, too powerful. It scares me.

"Over here, Almighty. Might want to take this." I turn to Robin's voice, finding him several yards away and holding a very familiar object. It's the Crown of Fire. "Find the ring." I take the crown and hook it on my arm.

" **And use them**?"

"What else would you do with them?"

But reinforcements have shown up. I see now that the team had been overwhelmed by an army of robots. An army of humans. My power is dimming already and I need to find the Ring of Rage.

I launch into battle, knowing Robin's screwed and M'gann's out for the count. I need to secure Alice and her sister. Get M'gann out of here. Find the ring.

I regret the decision to leave the map behind. I need it now.

My power rushes out of me in large bursts. Explosions of ectoplasm and ice. Shots and waves and gadgets thrown by Robin. He's clever, reusing the gadgets where he can, pulling them off of fallen robots and throwing them elsewhere. He never misses.

We're good so far, but we're losing ground. They're everywhere, and I can't keep them away. And there's so many left…

A dark shadow clouds my vision. NO! I can't lose consciousness now. NOT NOW!

It moves.

I understand now what I'm seeing. "Sam…"

She flits away, to the ground.

I understand at once and split my core in half, into a duplicate. I follow as she darts across the field, careful to keep us both out of the line of fire.

She stops abruptly, circles once, and disappears. I send a powerful burst of energy from my hands that decimates those closest to me, giving me some breathing room. Plunging my hands into the rubble Sam circled, I dig in the rocks, glass and shards of metal until I grasp a warm object. I pull out my hand.

My bloody fingers hold the Ring of Rage.

"Sam, keep me from going mad with power, please," I whisper to the ring as I twist it on my right ring finger.

I then slip the crown off my arm and place it on my hair.

The effect is instantaneous.

Power I've never known is inside me, around me.

I understand the true power of the objects. They don't give you power, per se. They unlock everything inside of you. Every potential. I can feel the ectoplasm I've already used surrounding me. I recall it.

The objects flood me with the power I didn't know I had. Teleportation. Portals. Ectoplasm manipulation.

Beyond the haze of unused ectoplasm, I spot Robin, on the ground and almost overwhelmed.

My core pulses, my power follows…

And just like that, the war is over.

Robots are down. Humans unconscious and contained. Robin and M'gann safe. Dimly, I realize the Justice League is descending from the sky with some members of the team. I laugh when they arrive. Too little, too late.

 _Hey, Danny._ I recognize the voice in my head instantly.

 _Sam!_

 _I know the power. I've survived inside it for too long._

 _How did you get trapped in here?_

 _When Pariah Dark owned the crown, he discovered that his power could be boosted by trapping ghosts inside. That way, he wouldn't just have his ectoplasm, but everyone's inside. Like if you trapped Desiree in here, you could use her powers of wish granting. I guess the crown retained its last orders and when I touched them, I was sucked in._

 _I didn't get sucked in._

 _I've done a bit of reprogramming. I just can't get out. I tried to reach you… But you were always so far away, and this place is so confusing..._

 _Can I release you?_

 _I don't know how, but yes. I think so._

 _Reach out to me._ I feel her presence like her hand in mine. _We're leaving._

The ring slips off my finger. I hold tight to Sam and pull her with me, stretching my mind so it feels like it'll snap. I push the crown off my head and pull free Sam with a final yank.

The air wavers like a mirage before Sam comes into focus. She's still see through, but is steadily gaining mass and becoming more tangible. I unhook the thermos at my side and pick up the two deadly objects, placing them inside for safe keeping.

The Justice League is surveying the damage with varied expressions; some look disappointed at the missed out fight, some worried, some proud.

I look back over to Robin and M'gann. Martian Manhunter is picking her up, smiling when she opens her eyes. Batman is knelt by Robin, doing something I can't see. Zatanna, Superboy and Artemis are crowding around as much as they dare with Batman.

I glance back over at the adult superheros. "We might need to gather up everyone here," I suggest, waving my arms at the destruction around me. Superman agrees and starts issuing orders.

 _Sorry this is taking a minute, Danny… My body is trying to reform but it's been energy for so long…_

I wave dismissively at her comment. _As long as you're coming back to me._

Superman, finished with orders, comes right up to me with Wonder Woman and the Flash flanking him. I have to look up at him, and try to resist the urge to take several steps back. I do, however, float higher so I can look him in the eye.

"Did you do all this?" Superman asks, gesturing around him.

I take in the sight of destruction around me. The building is rubble, nothing but slabs of stone and twisted metal. A lone wall, half disintegrated, stands to my far left, looking moments away from falling over.

Robots and humans litter the ground as far as I can see, all inactive on the ground. I felt the fake ectoplasm around me when I was wearing the artifacts, and disabling the robots was as easy as pulling out a bow by its string.

The humans were all alive, as far as I knew. I blew them back, but nothing hard enough to give more than a concussion. If they had ectoplasmic suits, I pulled out the ectoplasm then, too, and they're now trapped inside their suits.

"Yes," I reply to Superman after recounting what happened. It all went by so fast, it's only now coming back slow enough to understand.

The rush of power, the feel of Sam, the yank of my mind when I stretched it so far.

"With these… ghostly artifacts?" At my nod, he continues, "Where are they now?"

I tap my thermos. "And before you ask, no. You can't have them. I'm giving them to the only ghost I trust not to abuse them."

Superman looks taken aback. Guess he's not used to being said no to. "Who's that?"

I grin. "You don't know him."

I stare right where I imagine the imaginary time cameras would be, gesturing to my prize and then at the destruction around me. "Come and get it, if you want it!"

Superman looks at me like I'm crazy. I probably am, I must admit. My fingers are shaking now, and I can feel an endless smile tugging at my lips. "I'm sorry," I apologize to Superman, trying to suppress the torrent of joy in my chest right now enough to speak. "It's just… We won."

I turn away from him and fly over to where Batman is helping Robin climb unsteadily to his feet. When he spots me, he waves with his left, wincing.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, sobering a little bit at the prospect of anyone getting hurt. As soon as I take Batman's place in steadying him, Batman stalks away, probably to go lead the Justice League.

"Fine," Robin grunts, "Just a dislocated shoulder. Probably a strain in my foot, too, but I'm otherwise completely fine."

I snort. "Completely."

"Did we win? Wait, where's Vlad and Savage?"

I shrug. "My guess is long gone, by now."

Robin deflates. "So this isn't over?"

"Not by a long shot," I answer easily. "Axon Labs is still up and running, led by the fruit loop. It's making deals with major companies which can't be a good sign. Furthermore, I hate to say it, but this is just one more facility! We've got a bunch left."

Artemis joins in the conversation at this. "So we didn't accomplish anything? Just hurt a bunch of people?"

"What? Who's hurt?" I notice for the first time the absence of Tucker and my sister.

Zatanna answers this time. "Wally broke his foot, which he is _not_ happy about… Kaldur is just a little worn out, and by a little I mean a lot. Jazz has a whee concussion. Nothing to be concerned about…"

"And Tucker?"

She and Artemis look uncomfortable, but Artemis eventually adds, "He had an injury concerning his foot. We're not sure what that means yet. Nothing life threatening, though."

I'm not very comforted by that. Superboy and M'gann, who'd been doing their couple thing over where M'gann was knocked unconscious, come over looking intact.

"So what did we accomplish?" Conner asks as they approach us. Seems Martian Manhunter needed to go help clean up too, as he's nowhere to be seen.

I notice several Leaguers leaving with prisoners trapped in green bubbles. I almost ask where they're headed but decide I really don't care. "We got the Crown of Fire and Ring of Rage, which is a huge disadvantage on their part. Vlad and Savage won't be on the same side for a while, even if the truce is most likely still intact. We got Barbie and Pixie, also a huge blow to them and a great pleasure of mine. And we got Sam back!"

"Really? Where is she?" Robin brightens, searching the terrain.

M'gann and Superboy look at each other with equally worried expressions. I scowl at them.

"This is not me imagining Amo. Sam is just… Reconfiguring, let's say." I spot the faint outline of her at a distance, rapidly growing more solid. I call to her, and she makes her way over, slowly transferring from a float to steps on the ground.

Her outline is filling in as she approaches, and I watch her footprints appear beneath her combat boots. Her hair is slightly longer, almost like it grew while she was in the crown. It's choppy and wild, just like I remember it, starting to ruffle in the wind as she becomes increasingly more tangible.

Just like I last remember her, she's wearing her familiar goth outfit and the necklace I gave her for her birthday only a week or so before.

"Wait… Is that…?"

I ignore the urge to snap at Superboy for that comment, but I instead focus on Sam. Sam. Robin shuffles forward to be beside me as Sam approaches, whether for support, possible protection, or just plain curiosity I can't tell.

By the time she reaches us, she's completely on this plain of existence. She doesn't look nervous at all being surrounded by superheros, or uncomfortable in her physical body. She looks like she's glowing with pride.

 _Hey, you_ , she says.

 _Hi_ , I respond stupidly. _Guys, this is Sam._

The small group of team members smile and wave at Sam; Robin in particular being especially friendly. "Hi, I'm Robin. You must be Sam, but not Samantha, as I've learned."

"Yeah, I know, I already said that," I groan as Robin offers his left hand for Sam to shake. She looks puzzled before using her left to shake. _He has a dislocated shoulder_ , I explain.

 _Oh, okay, that makes more sense._ She pulls back from Robin and observes the rest of our team with a curious expression. "Who's everyone else?" she asks.

"May I introduce you to the team?" Robin jumps in, immediately following the question with introductions, "This is Miss Martian, Superboy, Artemis, Zatanna and you've already met yours truly. There are a few absent, including Kid Flash, our team leader, Aqualad, Aparato, and Vision. Phantom's also a member."

 _I know most of those… but?_

 _Aparato and Vision are Tucker and Jazz._

 _Tucker and Jazz are superheros?!_

 _Yeah, I know. They're the research team we use for reference._

 _No field? Thank the Ancients. They're more harm to us then to them._

I chuckle and shake my head. _I know._ The team is giving us weird looks. "What?"

"Are you guys… communicating?" Zatanna asks, looking between us.

"Are we not allowed to?" Sam retorts, folding her arms. Zatanna mimics her.

 _She's not being mean, she's- !_ I freeze, noticing the lack of response from the team at my words.

"Sam?" _Sam?_

"How many times did I say Sam?" I ask.

"Once," the team replies at the same time as Sam says, "Twice."

We look at each other with dawning realization. "Guys, I think Sam and I got telepathically linked in the Crown of Fire…"

"Is this a good thing, or a thing we need to immediately fix?" Robin asks, looking between us.

I shrug as Sam smiles at me and takes my hand. This simple movement sends our minds sprawling out into each others, causing an almost overwhelming combination of thoughts. I know she meant to be comforting, but this is hurting my already strained mind.

We let go, but our heads are still swirling.

I feel a tap on my shoulder, and see the recognition flashing on the faces in front of me. When I turn around, I'm met with an impatient Dani, in her ghost form and tapping her foot in the air.

"Dani, what-"

She lets out a long sigh that cuts me off. "Are you gonna give me the things or what? You wanted Clockwork to pick them up, and he sent me, and he needs me somewhere else, too, so I don't have all day!" She pauses, looking at Sam. "Oh, and hi Sam! I see you're back."

"...Yeaaah..."


	40. Chapter 40

**A few weeks later**

I'm walking the tightrope in Mount Justice's gym, careful to maintain enough balance so I don't end up swinging on my arm. It's mostly healed, but I can't be doing any crazy stunts with it. It's making me go insane out of my mind.

Zatanna sits on a pile of mats, reminding me of Danny from not too long ago. Except Zatanna is on her phone. Still, if she even senses I'm going to use my arm, she'll be all over me in an instant- and not in the fun way.

"If you're going to pace, shouldn't you do it on the ground instead of thirty feet in the air?" Zatanna calls up to me. I realize I have been, and let myself fall into the open blocks below.

"Evig mih a yaw tuo," Zatanna calls, and the foam blocks surrounding me push to the sides of the ring, allowing me to walk to the edge and crawl out.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize. I'm worried too. But we have to give them space."

The Amity crew had taken a leave of absence since they got Sam back, though Danny usually showed up for missions. Jazz was almost recovered enough to return, but since her concussion gave her such an intolerance for screens, she'll still be out for a little while.

Danny had brought up with us the possibility of Sam joining the team, and while his request was met with a lot of positivity, she has yet to show up at Mount Justice.

Tucker…

Danny said they were experimenting with a new prosthetic today.

Tucker's foot had been shot mid air, and the infection of the fake ectoplasm (created with dangerous radiation) almost immediately doomed it to amputation. He'd taken it as well as he could, but still refused to talk to anyone on the team, except for Wally. They'd become closer friends while I'd been BFFs with Danny.

Danny said the biggest concern Tucker had when he woke up with no left foot was how he was going to explain it to his parents.

My wrist beeps with a mission alert, and Zatanna stands up, stretching lazily. She holds out her hand to me. "Come on, let's go see what Batman has for us."

We head to the mission room, where I'm surprised to find Danny, not Batman, floating in front of the console. "Hey, what's up?" I ask, and he gives me a playful smile.

"Let's wait til everyone's here."

I raise an eyebrow, but Danny gives no more than that.

It takes a little over two minutes for the room to fill with our team, and Danny then settles on the ground to explain. "As you know, we're missing a couple people. It is my pleasure to reintroduce-" He pauses, tilting his head. "Scratch that. It is with great pleasure…" He stops again and sighs.

The team exchanges glances of confusion.

"Okay. Apparently, too much buildup. Short, sweet and dramatic." He rolls his eyes. "Anyway, here we are: the man, the myth, the legend…" He looks so sarcastic with this intro, I can't help but snicker.

The Zeta Beam announces Tucker and Sam, immediately exciting the whole team.

When two figures walk out, it fades to confusion. Tucker is leaning heavily on Sam, but he is, indeed, walking.

Sam is dressed similarly to how I first met her, save for a backpack that I'm sure is filled with ghost weapons. Tucker also looks similar, except for the metallic left to his right sneaker.

"Hey, guys," Tucker begins suavely, looking both pinched in pain and extremely pleased.

Megan floats towards him, clasping her hands. "You're walking! That's fantastic!"

"But how?" Artemis asks, watching his left foot wearily.

He shakes it at us, almost causing both him and Sam to fall over. Danny floats towards them, but Sam gives him a look over Tucker's shoulder and he retreats. "Danny and his dad made me a robotic foot! It's almost as good as the old one!"

"If it works," Danny mutters.

Tucker smiles brightly. "Of course it does! I'm walking! Soon, I'll give it all kinds of upgrades and be able to fly just like you." Several people look like they might object, but Tucker glares at them all, "Who has hope? I do! Who has the right to take it away? Nobody!"

Sam rolls her eyes.

"Could you help me sit?" he asks Sam, looking pointedly at one of the console chairs. She complies without comment, something I learned through brief conversations with Danny to be a difficult thing for her to do.

"Sorry we were gone so long," Danny begins, addressing the entire team as Tucker settles back in the chair. "Adjustments were …difficult. I mean, Tucker's foot… and Sam's family… and then our whole thing..."

She interrupts, "It's whatever. We figured it out. And we're back."

"Nobody blames you," Kaldur placates, stepping forward for the team, "We're just glad you've decided to stay."

"Are you kidding? Those GIW have to go down!" Accompanying her words, she stamps her foot and smashes her right fist into her left palm. Danny stifles a laugh behind his hand, and Tucker has the same light of amusement in his eyes. Sam notices the team's amused expressions and deflates slightly, still defensive but embarrassed. "I feel strongly about them," she finishes half-heartedly.

I bark a laugh and fold my arms. "That's okay, because we do, too!" I remember vaguely the name Danny suggested way back when we first discussed Sam, just me and him. "Welcome to the team, Chaos."

She smiles in a way that I can tell is very rare and completely genuine. She thanks us, and I'm guessing that's even more uncommon. When the team goes through their rounds of welcoming her as a new member of the team, Sam casts a sidelong glance at Danny, smirking.

"I guess I'm not your sidekick anymore."

Danny returns her smirk. "Nope, just my protege. Don't worry, I'll be a great mentor. Teach you everything I know. First lesson: bright colors and tights." He looks at me, making it clear the insult is intended for me as much as Sam.

Sam's smile drops. Rearing back her leg, she kicks him in the shin. Hard. With steel-toed combat boots.

Danny shouts in pain and backs away, whining and rubbing his leg. In response, Sam flips him off. "In your dreams, Ghost Boy."

 **THE END**

* * *

 **Welcome to the end of my FanFic! This was very fun, and I hope it ended with enough loose ends to keep y'all intrigued but not enough that it requires a lengthy sequel. Thank you for reading!**

 **-Sam is a sorceress spawned from a fight between Klarion and a Lord of Order. She was raised by light representatives in case she showed power, but unfortunately, she was just a normal human girl. Of course, this doesn't last long after her sixteenth birthday. The conflicting energies cancel each other out, but for a birthday gift, Danny gives her bracelets made from his core ice, causing one energy to be concentrated into the separate wrists. She then has enough control to switch between the two. The light is now incredibly interested in getting her on their side. DP X YJ**

 **-A fanfic where Dani and Dick meet when she's arrested in Bludhaven. He takes her in and eventually moves with her to Gotham so he can take up the mantle of the Bat when Bruce Wayne dies. She and Damian would be friends, and this would primarily be a Dani-adopted-by-Dick story, which I like the idea of. Danny is part of the Justice League.**

 **The winner is DANI and DICK, do to popular opinion. I'm not saying I won't do the first, but the second is already up. It's called _Adventures of a Screwed Up Clone._ If you'd like to find it, search Crossovers with Danny Phantom and Batman.**


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